Unscheduled Arrival
by xlilxfrazzlesx
Summary: Michelle and Steve have fallen out over an arguement about Ryan and Katy and are barely speaking. Just as Michelle thinks its over for them again Steve surprises her with a proposal she has had before but she has a secret she isn't sure she wants to share for fear it might destroy their relationship. As things start to develop how long can she hide it from Steve?
1. Chapter 1

It had been a bleak and horrible winter in Weatherfield, lots of grey skies, dark nights, snow flurries and today was no exception. So much for it being spring and the start of British summer time thought Michelle. It was Sunday morning, she'd lost an hour sleep with the change of the clocks and now outside it was dull and depressing. She stood at the window and peered out through the curtains at the empty street. Rain batted against the windowpane as it hammered down and created puddles upon and amongst the cobbles. Everyone was sure to stay home today and she was planning to do the same. Sighing heavily and feeling depressed herself she turned and headed into the kitchenette. It was seven and she was the first one up, as usual, the sound of Ryan and Steve still snoring away the only sound that broke the silence in her flat.

She boiled the kettle and stared idly into space as she thought about her life. Hearing the click of the kettle she picked it up and began pouring into the cup somewhat distracted by her thoughts. She didn't realise she had missed the cup completely until she felt a tiny splash of hot water drop onto her bare feet and burn her skin momentarily. Instantly she placed the kettle down on the side and cursed loudly, how could she be so stupid? Grabbing a cloth she quickly mopped up the puddle on the counter trying not to burn her fingertips as the cloth soaked up the boiling liquid. Michelle could just tell that today was going to be one of those days, starting again she picked up the kettle and tried again this time paying attention and taking care.

Michelle's cursing hadn't been loud or alarming but had managed to disturb Steve. He pulled his face out of his pillow and glanced at the alarm clock through narrowed, almost still closed eyes. Moaning loudly at the sight of the time he thumped his face back down into the pillow clumsily and tried to go back to sleep. Steve had failed to notice the lack of Michelle's presence in the bed and spread across it in a selfish starfish pose. Comfortable in his state of mild unconsciousness Steve had blissfully forgotten about his and Michelle's row the night before but in the living room Michelle was still dazed and distracted about the whole thing.

She had taken her successfully made cup of tea and sat down on the sofa, wrapped up in a fleece blanket and her towelling robe, hugging her mug and completely distracted by her thoughts. As she continued to think about their fight last night she began regretting some of the things she had said and the abuse she had hurled in Steve's direction, after all he'd only been trying to help. Michelle had come home from a long day of over time at the factory, Carla had really been cracking the whip on all the machinists to get the order out on time and some of that had managed to come Michelle's way too. She was physically exhausted and fed up and had just wanted to come home, have a nice long soak in a bath and sleep it off after a glass of wine or two. Instead she had walked in on Ryan and he hadn't been home alone. He had popped his head up from the sofa upon hearing the door opening and Michelle had found, pinned conveniently underneath him Katy.

Trust Ryan to be causing yet again more trouble on the street. Steve and Michelle had already told him once about splitting up Katy and Chesney, the damage it would cause and she was outraged to find he had not listened to them. She'd screamed and screamed at him until a shy and intimidated Katy had left and like a hurt puppy Ryan had disappeared to sulk in his room. It was genuinely hard work being Ryan's mother and disgusted by what she had seen Michelle had turned straight back around and stormed out of the flat heading straight for the bistro to grab a drink. She'd run into Carla and she had talked shop at her for hours until Peter had finally come in search of his partner in crime and relieved her of having to listen to another second of how Carla couldn't take anymore of Rob interfering in business that didn't concern him.

When Michelle finally got back to her flat she walked in on Steve chuckling away with Ryan, to her horror about Katy and lost it. Not only was it disrespectful to speak about a girl or a woman that way but trust Steve to encourage it and Ryan to continue chasing after that girl. She was a young mother with a small baby who already had a loving father and she did hope as did most of the street that Katy and Chesney would work it out and become a happy little family again. There was no way she was going to let Ryan get in the way of that or tarnish his reputation any further by ending up living with Katy. Shaking her head she glared at Steve, sometimes he was so stupid and behaved so oafishly. She slapped him round the back of the head as she walked in and Ryan once again quickly disappeared, this time leaving the flat and no doubt following up some of Steve's idiotic advice. She had yelled and screamed until she lost her voice at Steve last night, growing agitated at his silly facial expressions and pathetic excuses. What on earth had he been thinking encouraging Ryan like that?

As she sipped her brew she continued to mull over that last question, it was highly insensitive but so Steve. At times he just didn't think clearly or before he opened his mouth. Michelle was sure now she'd probably just overreacted and felt guilty that after her outburst they hadn't spoken to each other the rest of the night. She blamed the stress for her mood it was the only explanation. Having relived last nights events a couple of times in her head Michelle's thoughts began to drift into other things. Things like how after their argument they hadn't kissed and made up as usual and that for a few weeks there had been a tense atmosphere between them both. They always had rows and it was normal in their relationship but something had changed since their first argument about Ryan and Katy the other week. It was almost as if Steve was trying to undermine her parenting of Ryan by playing good cop whilst she played bad. When she thought about it, it was usually Ryan's behaviour that destroyed her relationships but more so recently.

Michelle sighed heavily and continued to daydream, last night she had been saddened by the fact Steve hadn't been on her side or that he had failed to comfort her after she had paced worrying at gone midnight when Ryan hadn't returned home. He'd just gone to bed and left her alone in the living room, stressing and panicking as to where Ryan had got to or what he was up to. It was bad enough that for nearly a month they had been sleeping miles apart in her tiny double bed but last night she had curled up and eventually fallen asleep upon the sofa. She'd been disturbed in the really early hours of morning by Ryan sneaking in but had squinted her eyes and pretended to still be sleeping so as to avoid any messy confrontation. She was just glad to have her son home safe.

Thinking about how much she missed hers and Steve's intimacy and how lonely it had been sleeping in nothing but a robe and a fleece Michelle took another sip of tea. As she tried to remember how long it had actually been since they'd last had sex she found herself distracted and so accidentally missed her mouth spilling the hot drink all over her. The shock this time made her yelp and she leapt up dropping the mug on the floor and making enough of a racket to finally stir Ryan and Steve from their beds. She couldn't believe what she'd accidentally done and before either of them appeared she ran to the bathroom and locked herself in so as to get cleaned up. For a minute she stopped, looking at herself in the mirror and just wanting to cry because she looked so tired. She felt it too as she slowly dabbed with a towel at her soaked robe and skin. Discarding her robe to the floor and standing in the middle of the bathroom she hurried to start running a bath. She desperately needed to relax and this was the best chance she'd have at peace and quiet.

The bathroom began to fill with steam as the hot water filled the tub, a light fragrant scent from the bath soak Michelle had emptied in filling the air. She took one last look at her tired self in the mirror and then sank her body slowly into the almost boiling hot, soapy water letting it immerse her body. Tipping her head back against the porcelain she closed her eyes and enjoyed the seconds of silence before she was disturbed.


	2. Chapter 2

The phone rang loudly, echoing around the small flat and it was mixed amongst the sounds of Steve and Ryan crashing about as they got up and dressed. Ryan still in a daze as he pulled on some clothes clattered around his room, rubbing his tired eyes and moaning at the noise made by the ringing phone. Steve who had stirred at the sound of Michelle's scream had slowly managed to wake himself and get up just as she had slammed the bathroom door. Slowly he had got dressed yawning and stretching, scratching his head and headed out into the living room to see what all the fuss was about. Hearing the telephone he picked it up and quickly said hello.

It was Carla calling early on a Sunday morning by Steve's standards, she'd asked for Michelle and he was only too happy to oblige in getting her. The mood Carla sounded in he didn't think it was a good idea to tell her that Michelle was unavailable to talk right now. With the phone in his hand he strode over to the bathroom and knocked on the door shouting through to Michelle that Carla was on the phone. It was loud enough that Carla even heard him through the handset and rolled her eyes.

Reluctantly Michelle pulled herself out of the water as it sloshed sloppily up the sides of the bath and a little spilt out and over onto the tiles. She was so disappointed as had only just begun to relax but Steve was only going to hang there until she moved and it was never a good idea to keep Carla waiting. Wrapping a soft and fluffy warm towel around her body she walked to the door, opened it and with her hair still dripping wet and her skin soaked and speckled with patches of bubbles took the phone from Steve. No sooner had she said 'hello' with a little resentment in her voice at being disturbed like this on a Sunday morning, that Carla started screaming and stressing away at her.

She rolled her eyes at Steve and hurried past him to the bedroom where she slammed the door and Steve couldn't help but wonder if it was in anger at Carla or at him for answering the phone. Michelle listened to Carla as she began to rant that not all of the order was finished and that the client was pressuring her for delivery of it by close of business tomorrow. Michelle knew as well as Carla did that this wasn't possible unless…then it hit her, that's why Carla was calling and right as she was that it was what Carla had in mind too. Working through the day today, she explained to Michelle that she'd managed to get most of the work force to agree to come in last minute for double pay which she'd reluctantly agreed too and now she was ordering Michelle to be there too. She huffed as she reluctantly agreed and cut off the call, just great, so much for relaxing.

Quickly Michelle threw on something work appropriate, dried her hair and slapped on the minimum amount of make up she could to at least look presentable. It was going to be a long day, throwing everything she needed into her handbag she hurried out of the flat, ignoring Steve and almost bumping into Ryan as he sleepily walked out of his room. She was rushing and felt terrible as she hurried down the street and too the factory to meet Carla.

Throwing herself into her chair she sighed loudly and then pulled herself into her desk. Resting her elbows on the desk Michelle put her head in her hands and let her fingers sink into her hair. She was just going to take a minute or two for herself, she was still distracted by the same thoughts she had been mulling over all last night and this morning and work hadn't done much for taking it off her mind. Carla was practically throwing papers around the other side of the desk, muttering under breath and cursing loudly occasionally when something went wrong. Michelle could tell her friend was stressed and she was unable to help today, she just had to many distractions of her own but it was doing her head in. Looking up and tugging at her roots she glared at Carla for a second before her eyes fell to the calendar on the desk. Was that the date? Really it was March 31st. Michelle started thinking back and was trying to remember again the last date her and Steve had been intimate, it was about six or so weeks ago she was sure and that time had flown.

Quickly she reached down and scooped her handbag from the floor, she made an absolute racket as she scrambled around the expanse for her diary. Pulling it out she quickly dumped her handbag back on the floor beside her and slammed the diary open on the desk. She frantically flicked through January and February scouring the pages for the little red dot she used to indicate the days she had her period and there it wasn't. Missing at the beginning of March, shuffling the pages back Michelle counted the weeks between Januarys and when her next one should have fallen. It was late, very late, three weeks to be exact. She stared at the blank page and almost stopped breathing this was not good. Carla noticing Michelle's sudden silence looked up from her work, Michelle looked pale and as though she'd just seen a ghost. Carla coughed to try and catch her attention but that failed to work.

"_Hey, everything ok with you?" _asked Carla bluntly as she stared at Michelle.

Carla's question fell onto deaf ears and seconds later Michelle grabbed the desk, pushed back her chair and quickly ran from the office with her hand clapped to her mouth. Reaching the ladies Michelle hurried into a cubicle and didn't even bother to lock the door as she knelt down and hovered over the bowl. She felt as if she was going to be sick, she couldn't have this it would ruin everything. It had been over twenty years since she'd last felt like this and had the missing period panic and she wasn't sure she'd survive it again. How could this have happened, she had her pill still and her and Steve were always careful. She couldn't believe she'd been so busy she hadn't noticed she was late and things had been so stressful since New Year that she had just been forgetting things all over the place.

Over thinking things yet again Michelle was all of a sudden unsure if she had even remembered to take her pill, this could just be one silly and irresponsible mistake on her part. That thought was enough to make her heave and sure enough the bile rose in her throat. She couldn't hold it a second longer, she had cold sweats and then the vomit burnt as it shot up her throat and she gagged as it exploded from her lips. She had never felt so sick in her life and she felt like crap. She wasn't sure she was going to survive the remainder of the day feeling the way she did.

Michelle was begging quietly for it to be over soon and silently praying that she was just late and this was the result of her over-reaction and nothing more. When she was finally finished being sick she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and picked herself up to walk out of the cubicle. Straightening her hair in the mirror she looked at herself and felt sick again at the sight of her pale self staring back at her. Her mind really now was pre-occupied but she didn't want fussing over, pulling herself together she headed back to her desk hoping she hadn't drawn to much attention to herself with her abrupt actions earlier.

When Michelle entered back into the office she kept her head down and did so quietly but Carla noticed and looked straight up, her eyes wide, large and sharp as she glared at Michelle unintentionally. Michelle looked now somewhat different and Carla detected worry straight away although Michelle thought she was hiding it. Unfortunately she and Carla were so close they could read each other like books and she knew as well as Carla did that Carla could sense her worry even if she couldn't see it. Sitting down quietly Michelle looked back at the blank page of her diary and felt the tears forming along the brims of her eyes and she was powerless to stop them as the first big tear blobbed onto the crisp white page.

That was it Carla couldn't ignore the fact that Michelle was obviously not in a fit state to be at work. She got up from her own desk and walked around to Michelle where she crouched down at her side and reached for her hand. It startled Michelle but as she felt Carla gently squeezing her hand she responded by gently squeezing back. Carla smiled as she reached up and brushed Michelle's untidy hair behind her ear and gently moved her head so she turned to face her.

"_Hey, I know something's wrong 'Chelle. Go home sweetie and if you need to talk call me later yeah?" _offered Carla kindly. She would have dealt with whatever the issue was now but she was too stressed and Michelle's problems and off focus work ethic was not going to help right now. Michelle was grateful to Carla, she had half expected her to kick off selfishly but as she was offering Michelle thought it best to get out whilst she could and that way she could avoid the subject and go home to relax. Nodding her head she picked up her bag, threw on her coat almost too quickly and swiftly made her exit.


	3. Chapter 3

Michelle ran up the stairs to her flat and quickly slammed the door behind her. Sanctuary at last she thought. It was only a hop skip and jump to her flat from the factory but that walk home had seemed to last an eternity. She had avoided eye contact with all passers by, kept her head down and prayed that no one stopped her for a friendly chat. She was especially relieved to have made it home without any form of confrontation. Stopping for a moment she relaxed back against the door and took in the silence that surrounded her, appreciating every second of it. Michelle wallowed in the solace of her flat for longer than she intended before she slowly dragged herself into the bedroom.

She sighed heavily at the state of the room, the duvet in a heap at the foot of the bed, pillows askew and only just upon the mattress looking as though they might fall to the floor any second. A few empty beer cans Steve's side littered the floor amongst his dirty clothing. Michelle felt like crying, like her bedroom her life was just becoming one big mess. Dragging her heels as she walked she headed for the bed and just let herself flop forward onto the mattress face down. Her tears began to soak the material of the sheet as she cried and cried over what she thought might be her future, another baby.

Steve had had a long day at Streetcars and the fares he had been completing had unluckily been all of the longer ones. Today he'd been to the airport two or three times not to mention the odd journeys back and forth to Freshco and the centre of Manchester. He had just returned from his last fare of the day, one to the Trafford centre and was very much looking forward to going home and just relaxing. Working Sunday's was one of his pet hates as well but at least he'd had a later start today. He was also pleased that it should be a fairly standard night at home, especially with Michelle having worked all day too. So as long as Ryan hadn't done anything else to start them rowing at each other he should be in luck.

Locking up the office and refusing a pint with Lloyd Steve headed home. It was quiet as he entered the flat and so he assumed he was alone. Heading straight for the fridge he grabbed for a beer and took it to the sofa where he flopped down and popped open the can to take his first refreshing swig. Kicking off his shoes he reached for the remote and clicked on the television, which instantly blared out and broke the silence of his surrounds. Steve for some reason hurried to turn it down like he was scared of waking a sleeping infant or something. In the bedroom the sudden noise startled Michelle from her dreams but not enough to cause her to wake. She simply opened her eyes and swiftly let them close again.

_Michelle could hear the cries of her new born son, see Dean, smiling like an idiot beside her as he crushed her hand in his own. She remembered the pain she had gone through and then that she hadn't even held her baby boy because he had been rushed out because of some medical issue. She remembered the distress she had been through as she waited to see if their precious addition to their little family would make it, surviving in the world for longer than a few minutes. She could still feel the pain that seared through her body that day, the angst that had flown through her veins the whole while and then she remembered the relief of being handed her tiny baby for the first time. _

The memory was heart warming and in her semi conscious state a smile tugged at the corners of Michelle's lips. Reliving memories through vivid dreams was so comforting but suddenly Michelle's dreams became nightmares and their subject more distressing than the previous. Michelle's imagine was running wild, and so developing scenarios that made her eyes twitch as the image became painted on her eyelids. A baby still covered in blood from the womb. It was so small and fragile, a helpless life in her hands. It was quiet and still as she held it against her chest and she was shaking, so scared of hurting them. Then out of nowhere the baby just disappeared from her arms, looking over the side of the bed she saw the baby upon the cold flooring of the hospital room. Looking at her hands confused as to how this had all happened Michelle saw they were smothered with blood and when she looked back at the baby on the floor so were they. She screamed not only in her dream but in reality waking herself with the shock.

She was trembling and flew up into onto her knees on the mattress. Michelle was screaming and screaming now confused between reality and what had been a fragment of her imagination. Having broken out in a fit of cold sweats despite being dressed head to toe Michelle shivered and panicked realising she was alone. Steve at the shock of the sudden outburst from the bedroom almost dropped his beer and reacted on instinct jumping to his feet. He had assumed he was alone and so had at first been just as frightened by Michelle's screams as she had been. He rushed to the bedroom concerned as to what had happened.

As Steve first looked round the door he saw her sat on her knees in the centre of the bed. All colour drained from her skin and she was as white as a sheet with sheen created by her sweats visible on her face. Steve wasn't sure what to do at first but he knew he needed to do something he couldn't just leave Michelle in her distressed state. Slowly he approached her not knowing how she might react. The closer he got the more he realised she looked possessed in a trance with her eyes not even moving to follow him. Gently he sat upon the mattress and made a reach for her shoulder. His fingers lightly brushed her skin and it startled her to the point he felt her flinch and quickly pulled away.

Michelle turned her head and seemed to look straight through Steve. Trembling she put her hands out in front of her and began crawling towards him but not for his comfort. Gingerly she peered over the side of the bed only to see the image of that still, quiet baby upon the floor. She was shaking again more violently this time and Steve noticed. Confused by her actions he focused upon the same spot as she was and didn't see a thing but Michelle could see it and was horrified it was real. Shrieking suddenly and from nowhere Michelle pulled back onto the bed and when Steve tried to comfort her she struggled against him, hurting him unintentionally as her hands flailed in the air.

"_Hey, Michelle baby come on calm down" _yelled Steve as he struggled to hold her scared that any second she would hurt herself.

It was when she continued to be out of control and acting hysterically that Steve knew he needed to take a more forceful approach. He didn't want to hurt her but he needed to control her somehow. Climbing quickly onto the bed sat behind her so she slotted between his legs and wrapped his arms around her tight. He hugged her to his chest until she gave up and her arms went limp at her sides. She was exhausted, panting away for breath and crying hard. Her tears fell in big wet blobs onto Steve's arms and her head bowed in defeat. Steve held her close, determined not to let her go until he'd soothed her and she was feeling better.


	4. Chapter 4

Michelle had taken hours to calm down as Steve kept her close to him. She had twisted and buried her face into the shirt on his chest and eventually had fallen asleep but he dare not let her go in case she freaked out again. In quiet he sat just cradling her with a gentle rocking to keep her soothed as he began to try and think what might have had her so distraught. He'd never seen Michelle react to anything like that, she was usually calm or she lost her rag but only when really necessary. What Steve had just witnessed was more like a woman possessed and truth be told it had scared him.

Not much later he heard the front door go and knew Ryan was home. He didn't want Michelle disturbed and so gently lay her down upon the mattress and hurried from the bedroom to prevent Ryan from having the chance. Ryan was shocked to see Steve looking as white as a sheet and a little jumpy but didn't let it distract him long enough to stop him grabbing a beer from the fridge. He held a second can up and waved it at Steve in offering who quickly took it gratefully. Taking their beers they sat down on the sofa in silence as Ryan clicked on the television. He had this urge to ask Steve what had happened but he wasn't sure he really wanted to know and surely if it had been serious Steve would have told him straight away.

Hours passed and as midnight approached Ryan and Steve had consumed every can of beer available in the flat but they weren't ready to head off to the land of nod. They had watched football and some other sports and now they were just chilling with some comedy before a blood and gore thriller started. Ryan headed to the fridge scrounging for something more to drink and as he searched his tummy rumbled so loudly you could've mistaken it for an earthquake! Steve chuckled at Ryan and then realised his own stomach was doing the same, they had been so busy drinking they had just let dinner pass them by.

"_Take-out?" _piped Ryan hopefully as he grabbed the menus. It would have to be Steve's treat because as usual Ryan had no money. He nodded and together they decided on Pizza and kebabs. Telling Ryan to stay put Steve made a dash for the door remembering he had an abandoned crate of beers he'd kept out of sight of Michelle in the cab office. He was soon back and then they were sat as they had been waiting for their midnight feast to be delivered with a beer in hand and the rest chilling in the re-stocked fridge.

Male bonding time with Ryan was certainly what Steve needed, especially with what he was planning. This time he, Michelle and Ryan would be a proper family even if her little boy weren't as little as he had been first time round. He was so pleased with himself. Earlier on with his last fare to the Trafford Centre he had parked up the cab and gone in to do some last minute shopping of his own. He was going to wait and throw a little get together for the family, make a show of it and surprise Michelle but after the state he had found her in when he arrived home he was certain that as soon as she woke up would be perfect timing.

"_Mate, can I ask you something?" _asked Steve tipsily as he turned to face Ryan.

"_Well I'm going to anyway" _he continued before Ryan could answer.

"_How would you feel if I asked your mum to marry me…again?" _said Steve correcting himself because he'd already asked her once before and been unsuccessful in getting her down the aisle.

Ryan laughed as first reaction but in a good way. Well this was certainly a surprise and at least Steve seemed less tense than he had when Ryan had got home. Steve and his mum, well it was a nice idea but he wasn't sure she was going to for it. Obviously Steve was only asking for his approval more than his opinion and he did like Steve. He wouldn't be so bad to have around permanently after all he did pay for takeaways.

"_Yeah its cool" _answered Ryan who was beginning to feel quite drunk and sick from lack of food.

Before Steve could say anything further the buzzer for the door went and Ryan leapt up from the sofa, grabbed the cash from the side and ran down the stairs to collect their order. It smelt delicious as the fumes invaded his nose on transportation back up to the living room. They couldn't tear the wrappers off quick enough and seconds later were shovelling in the food like animals. Anyone watching them would think they had been starved for weeks and only fifteen minutes later bare minimums were left. A slice of pizza, two half eaten and dumped beside it back in the box, some cold chips and the shreds of kebab that had fallen out of the bread and into the container as they ate. Ryan sat back and took a gulp of his beer burping straight after and Steve mirrored the action, it had after all been a good night and soon they had fallen asleep side by side as the movie came to an end.

Michelle began to stir in the early hours of morning and rolled over to a freezing cold side of the bed where Steve would have usually been. She was still drowsy as she began to remember something that she wasn't sure was reality or part of her dreams. He had been here with her, hadn't he? Michelle was questioning what she was remembering and instantly felt confused. Everything began to merge together as she remembered little pieces and then the image of that poor little baby popped into her head, still covered in blood and silent, not moving and not even its tiny chest going up and down to show it was breathing. This traumatic image pulled Michelle again up from the pillow in a fit of cold sweats and no matter how hard she tried she couldn't shake it. She looked down into her own lap and saw the image so vivid and realistic that it made her panic.

Frightened and alone Michelle slowly got out of the bed, not for a second taking her eyes off of the sight of the baby upon the sheets that were slowly beginning to turn red from the blood. She continued to step back across the room until she hit the far wall and then tried to take deep breaths to calm her erratic heartbeat. She was just glad that she didn't seem to be holding the helpless child she was convinced she had murdered and looked down at her hands just to be sure they were empty. As she stared at them so clean and pale they slowly started to turn red with the blood, this was haunting her. Her hands started to shake until she could take it no more; she couldn't bear to be in her bedroom. Quickly she ran out and straight to the bathroom slamming the door, which woke the guys on the sofa.

Startled by the sudden movements, both dazed and confused Ryan and Steve lifted their sleepy heads from the cushions and got up to see what all the fuss was about. Steve knew instantly when he bumbled into the empty bedroom to find the sheets a mess and Michelle gone. She had the nightmare again, he hadn't heard any screams, was she ok? A guilty feeling Steve ran to the bathroom and banged on the door calling her name over and over.


	5. Chapter 5

Water was pounding against the basin hard and fast as a continuous stream of freezing cold water flowed. She could still see the fresh blood smothered across her shaking hands. Intercepting the water she let it wash over her hands pointlessly for a few seconds before jumping out of her skin at the sudden thumping on the door. Steve shouting her name repeatedly and begging for her to tell him that she was ok. The water failed to wash away the blood on them and soon Michelle found herself rubbing her hands frantically in an attempt to remove it but that still failed to work. She started to panic at the thought the blood would never leave. It was so realistic and was like a tattoo she couldn't remove.

"_Michelle" _whined Steve incessantly outside the door as he rested his head against it.

All Steve could hear were the vast amounts of running water coming from inside and although tired he couldn't deny he was deeply concerned for Michelle's welfare. He had no idea what was going on inside her head or whether she was actually emotionally stable alone in there. Ryan was still half asleep amongst the cushions on the sofa and sleepily he asked Steve what was happening. His head was banging from the lack of hydration and Steve's shouting and protesting to his mother was not helpful.

Slowly getting up he dragged himself into his bedroom, slamming the door to mark his frustration and dived straight between his sheets. Pulling them over his head he attempted to block out the racket Steve was now making as he whined through the bathroom door to a frightened Michelle. Living in this flat sometimes really was a joke, anyone would think it was part of a bloody soap opera thought Ryan as he tossed and turned, groaning as he tried to get comfortable and drift back off to sleep.

"_Michelle!" _whined Steve again this time elongating the end of her name and making the frustration now present in his voice.

Michelle began to cry as she pulled her shaking hands from the water and stared at them, now only part stained with a deep pink instead of blood red. Outside Steve's whinging was making her feel on edge but at least the banging of his fists had ceased. She didn't know what to do, or what was actually happening, she was just grateful that the baby was no longer near her. Michelle slowly turned off the tap and then stood at the basin staring at herself in the mirror. She had dark circles under her eyes, stained with mascara where she had been sleeping and crying. Her lips seemed swollen and her face soaked in the moisture from her tears. Her skin was almost translucent in its paleness and she looked as ill as she suddenly felt.

Steve was feeling anxious now, the water had stopped running and he couldn't hear a sound from inside. He felt guilty, this had to be all his fault and he knew his stupidity annoyed her at times but he was sure he could make up for it. He almost couldn't believe that the little arguments they'd been having recently about Ryan and Katy were responsible for this behaviour Michelle was currently displaying. This had been an exhausting twenty four hours and Steve was ready for a good kip in bed instead of cat napping on the sofa in an uncomfortable position. He called Michelle's name one more time and when he received no answer he put it down to her just been stubborn and moody, the nightmares must just be a cry for attention. Walking away from the door he headed for the bedroom, he needed at least a few good hours rest before his next shift.

Taking a few deep breaths Michelle quickly wiped away at her teary eyes and sniffling turned away from the basin. She felt suffocated and suddenly very claustrophobic trapped in her tiny bathroom. She walked slowly to the door and listened for signs of life outside, she didn't want to deal with Steve's questions right now. Michelle was sure she couldn't hear a thing and so slowly she reached down for the lock and handle and clicked it open. She opened it up bit-by-bit slowly peering round and scanning the room to make sure she'd be alone and luckily she was. Creeping out she headed for the door, swiftly grabbing her coat from the hanger on the back of the door and disappeared off out. Just to get some early morning fresh air and hopefully not bump into anyone she knew this Monday morning.

It was chilly outside despite being spring. Another one of those bleak mornings just like the one she had been staring out at yesterday. The dull clouds hovered above the street as Michelle shoved her hands into her coat pockets and bowed her head to press on. She wasn't sure where she was going or why, she just knew she needed to be alone. It was still early enough for no one to be in sight, not a soul as usual. Michelle headed down Rosamond Street giving a thought for Carla, probably happily tucked up in bed with Peter and felt saddened her own relationship wasn't like theirs. She sighed to herself as she finally passed the bookies and then nearly jumped out of her skin as a familiar voice called to her from behind.

"_Michelle, hey darlin' wait up?" _came Carla's voice.

For a minute Michelle thought about just pressing on, pretending she hadn't heard her and go on ignoring her but this was Carla, god she'd chase her down the street till she got an answer. Stopping Michelle stood still but didn't turn to face her she just waited for Carla to catch her up instead. She kept her head down as Carla chattered away, some pointless crap as she approached.

"_So babe, I mean that's enough about my night, how are you?" _said Carla in a rush as she placed a hand on Michelle's shoulder.

Michelle felt herself tearing at the sentiment of Carla's routine question and empty gesture. How was she? Really, did Carla want to know? Even if she did she doubted she'd understand, Carla had never had children or been very maternal. What would she honestly know about an unwanted pregnancy or a scare. She nodded and lied saying she was 'fine' but cleverly managed to avoid eye contact with Carla. She needed to stop her self from crying or getting over emotional just whilst she was in Carla's presence so decided to use a way of distracting her.

"_So Car, what you doing up and out this early?" _asked Michelle trying to see just how long she might be in Carla's company.

"_Factory stuff, I have so much to sort 'Chelle but hey won't be doing it alone now you're here will I" _answered Carla expectantly.

Michelle stammered wanting to decline her assistance but Carla just carried on, linking arms with her friend and marching in the direction of the factory. Michelle knew instantly that she was trapped again, so much for some alone time and being able to sort things in her head. Carla was now going to tie her up in hours of mind numbingly boring paperwork and orders. Great! Thought Michelle, just what I need!


	6. Chapter 6

The factory was buzzing and had been for hours as Carla whizzed around ordering the machinists about and reorganising piles of paperwork. The sound of the needles on the machines chattering away was the accompanying soundtrack of their day and Michelle had started to develop the world's worst headache. Carla swanned in and out of the office continuously for a while before finally coming back in a whirlwind of stress and rage. On Michelle's desk she dumped a pile of knickers for the current order and made a loud grunting sound. Michelle knew this meant all was not good and that she may be in trouble, after all it was her job to make sure the machinists were up to scratch and getting things right.

"_Have you seen those, it's a disaster, who gave them yellow trim to put on the black lace!" _

Michelle turned and looked up at Carla whose temples were throbbing with her dissatisfaction at the incompetence of her staff. Michelle frowned unsure if this was her mistake or Hayley's. Carla was right, yellow trim wasn't on this order it was supposed to be a cream trim. An easy enough mistake to make thought Michelle, maybe Hayley had misunderstood her or just picked out the wrong colour in the dim light of the stock room. Who knew? She got up slowly from her seat and took the merchandise from her desk.

"_I'll sort it Car" _she mumbled going to leave the office.

"_Make sure you do, get it right this time" _snapped Carla rudely as she stomped back to her own chair, sat down and sank into the leather. Michelle shook her head in disbelief and exited the office, depositing the rejects in the correct bin as she raced onto the factory floor, stopped all the machinists working and ordered Hayley to get the 'cream' trim from stock. Everyone was staring at her now and she glared at each of them before flapping her arms and huffing as she spun on her heel and headed back to the office. Before long the chattering of the machines could be heard in the office as the machinists started the order again, this time correctly.

The atmosphere between Carla and Michelle had turned awkward, Michelle annoyed that Carla had treated her with so little respect and Carla just annoyed at Michelle's incompetence. It was only lunchtime and the day was dragging so much that Michelle felt lethargic as she stared at her bright white computer screen. In front of her the work she was doing all merging before her eyes and becoming a blur. She just couldn't concentrate and the banging in her head had taken over, it was the only thing she could concentrate on. Her mind was a mess, she'd really needed her own space and time this morning and now she was just stressed. There was just too much going on that she had to think about and soon she found herself sitting back in her chair, eyes shut and she was slipping away into a daydream.

"'_Chelle!" _screeched Carla in a harsh tone which jolted Michelle back to the here and now of the Underworld office. She looked up at her boss with a startled expression.

"_You haven't confirmed that order I told you to this morning. I've just had an email saying they've found the deal elsewhere" _she screamed angrily as she rose to her feet and glared down at a very sorry looking Michelle who just about mumbled some sort of apology and was about to follow it up with an excuse that Carla really wasn't in the mood to hear.

"_What the hell is going on with you?" _yelled Carla now fuming with Michelle for her mistake.

Michelle decided that second that she wasn't even going to give Carla the satisfaction of lecturing her any further. She was a grown woman, her own person and she had her own personal problems, she didn't need this. Getting up she threw a 'don't mess with me' look at Carla and turned to storm out of the office. It momentarily stopped all the machinists as Michelle fled the office with Carla hot on her heels shouting. It created so much of a scene that they all stared and started gossiping as Carla turned back with a face of thunder. It was obvious to everyone in that factory that something had happened between her and Michelle and that she was raging.

"_GET BACK TO WORK" _she yelled as she marched back into the office and threw herself into her chair. What the hell was Michelle playing at storming out like that, she was lucky Carla didn't fire her for her terrible behaviour.

At the chemist was the first time Michelle took a deep cleansing breath since she'd left the factory. She was so wound up by Carla's attitude and bad temper towards her that she just needed some space before she said something she might regret. Browsing the pregnancy tests wasn't actually helping but she wasn't going to have this off of her mind until she knew for sure. She picked one, the first one that didn't look dodgy and cheap and headed to the counter with her head down and feeling embarrassed to make her purchase. There was an awkward silence as she handed over her cash and took the small white paper bag from the cashier. She couldn't wait to get away from there and get it all over and done with.

Michelle headed back to the factory, not sure of the welcome she would get after her walk out earlier but she needed something that would keep her distracted after she took the test. It was home time and as she entered the factory Michelle found she was stormed by fleeing machinists who couldn't be more grateful for the end of their shifts. Carla had been a nightmare all afternoon, yelling and being rude as she stormed in and out of the office all stressed out by the lack of enthusiasm portrayed from her staff about completing the order they were behind on yet again. Carla was also glad to see them go and as soon as they were all out of sight she moved to the cabinet and grabbed a glass and her stashed bottle of scotch. She was desperately in need of just the one drink. Carla had just poured a generous serving and taken back her seat when Michelle wandered sheepishly into the office. Carla took a swig of scotch and stared right at her with contempt.

"_Nice of you to come back" _she snapped sarcastically.

"_I'm sorry Carla" _was all Michelle could say as she placed her bag down on the desk.

Carla scoffed in response and then just continued on with her drinking. Michelle's apology meant nothing to her. Her business was in a mess and all because Michelle wasn't focused enough on her job. She pulled her feet up and rested them on the desk as she leant back and relaxed. Michelle looked at her with a saddened expression. What had happened to her friend? She'd become a nightmare and control freak overnight, where was the caring kind Carla who had softened over the years? Trying not to cry she reached into her bag and pulled from it the little paper bag containing the test, it was now or never. She clenched it tightly in her fist and swiftly left the office heading for the ladies. Carla couldn't help but notice that Michelle had taken something from her bag and it had looked as though it was a purchase from a chemist. She slammed the glass down on the desk and watched through the office window as Michelle headed to the toilets. Carla was curious, it was so obvious all wasn't right with Michelle but what was it? She waited and waited to see if Michelle hurried back and when she'd been gone longer than fifteen minutes Carla decided she'd have to investigate. Getting up from her chair she slowly made her way to the ladies.


	7. Chapter 7

Michelle had disappeared into one of the cubicles, clutching the paper bag tightly in her hand and sat down on the toilet seat lid. She was so frightened of what the outcome would be once she had taken the test. Michelle pulled to box out of the bag, taking a few long and deep slow breaths before glancing down at it and reading the instructions. It was all very simple but Michelle still didn't feel ready. She simply sat quietly for a few more moments as she decided whether she really wanted to do this, here and now. Her fingers fumbled with the box as she debated everything silently in her head. Weighing up all the pros and cons of knowing is she was or not. Eventually she concluded that she would have to bite the bullet, it was definitely now or never.

Her fingers ripped at the cardboard as Michelle opened the little box and pulled out the stick that would decide her fate. Standing up she lifted the toilet seat lid and pulled down her leggings and underwear. Positioning herself in a rather uncomfortable pose she hadn't done since she was a teenager and had done the pregnancy test that had confirmed she was pregnant with Ryan, Michelle held the small stick with a shaking hand between her legs. It was an intense few seconds before she could pull the stick away. Relieving herself of her squatted position Michelle stood up and pulled up her leggings and underwear, put down the lid of the toilet seat and flushed it. She held the stick in her hands and sat back down as she waited.

On the box it had advised three to five minutes but Michelle did not have her watch or her phone. She would just have to wait for the result to appear. She changed the position of the test in her hands and held each end of It lightly between her thumb and index finger. She had never been so nervous in her life and she wished she didn't feel so alone. Michelle didn't blink once whilst staring at the test, her eyes were fixed on the little window to see if she got one line or two. All was quiet as she waited until she heard the squeaking of the hinges on the door to the toilets and she heard the clicking of Carla's heels on the lino.

"_Chelle, you ok?" _rang out Carla's voice so loud and clear it made her jump.

The small white stick fell from her fingers and clattered on the floor noisily. Michelle instantly slid from the seat and went to make a grab for it when she saw the tips of Carla's boots the other side of the door. Michelle squeaked a shaky 'yes' in response to Carla's question and quickly got back to her feet. The cubicle door was their only barrier now and she knew Carla wasn't going to go away. Shoving the test into the waistband of her leggings and lowering her jumper so that it covered it Michelle made reach for the lock and clicked open the door. Straight away she came face to face with Carla and she didn't look to be in a good mood.

"_What is going on with you?" _snapped Carla.

The stench of scotch coming from Carla made Michelle feel sick it was so strong. Carla had left her no room to sneak passed or to try and avoid her, she had no choice but to answer the question. Taking a deep breath she painted on a false smile in an attempt to fool her friend.

"_I'm fine" _she croaked unconvincingly and then shoved passed Carla rather rudely to wash her hands. Carla huffed and then continued to glare at Michelle in the mirror from behind. She waited until Michelle left the ladies before leaving herself and followed her back to the office. If Michelle wasn't going to talk then Carla would just need to keep a close eye on her until she uncovered the truth. Michelle sat back in her chair and pulled it tight into her desk. In her new seated position she could feel the pregnancy test digging into her leg and stomach uncomfortably. How long was Carla going to watch her for? She had felt her staring at her the whole way back to the office and even now sat opposite Carla hadn't taken her eyes off of her. Michelle bowed her head and started typing away on the keyboard finishing the work she had abandoned earlier before she had marched out.

After a while Carla turned her back on her, going back to the cabinet to refill her glass of scotch. Michelle saw her opportunity, making a reach for the test she whipped it out from under her jumper and went to lay it flat on her lap when Carla suddenly turned round. It was enough to make the test slip from Michelle's fingers and clatter to the floor like it had earlier in the toilets. There was an awkward moment where neither of them dared move and then out of nowhere Carla slammed down the glass and came running to Michelle's desk.

Michelle was desperate to keep this her secret. As soon as she realised Carla's intention she pushed back her chair and went to grab the test but her hand met Carla's as the both reached for it. Both the women had a firm grip on the test, Michelle determined not to let go but unfortunately Carla had the advantage of power and ripped it from her grasp. She held it up in the air and glared down at Michelle.

"_What's this?" _she inquired abruptly.

"_Nothing Carla, please give it back" _answered Michelle hurriedly as she pulled herself up onto her feet and looked at Carla with tears in her eyes.

Carla saw instantly the severity and slowly lowered her hand offering the test back to Michelle. Was she actually...? Carla couldn't say it, she didn't dare to ask. She softened her expression and headed back to her own desk. She wouldn't pursue this, if Michelle wanted to talk she was sure she would. Michelle took her seat again as well and pulled herself back into the desk, she still hadn't looked at the result. The test was clenched tightly in her fist and as she watched Carla take a sip of her scotch she felt her own throat run dry. She plucked up the courage to say something to Carla.

"_Hey, can I have a glass of that?" _she asked in shy tone of voice.

"_Sure" _answered Carla, leaving her desk and grabbing a second glass and putting in a dribble of scotch. She wasn't sure Michelle should be consuming the alcohol if she was pregnant but one small serving surely couldn't hurt. With a little reluctance she handed it to Michelle as she stood by her desk.

"_So...are you?" _asked Carla motioning to the stick in her hand with the nod of her head.

"_I don't know...haven't looked yet" _answered Michelle sounding like she was going to cry.

"_Well take a sip and lets find out then" _encouraged Carla, eager to know the answer herself.

Michelle sipped the scotch and shuddered at the shock of its bitter but sweet taste. She was nervous again now and not sure she wanted to know but at least Carla was here. It'd be a weight of her shoulders if someone else knew the truth besides herself and she could talk to someone, figure out her next move. It was time to find out the truth, she released the test from her hand and placed it down on the desk. Both her and Carla stared at it as they took in the result.

"_Congratulations!" _said Carla patting Michelle on the back but Michelle was in shock she couldn't believe it, was that really the result and how did she really feel about it now it was confirmed.


	8. Chapter 8

With that Carla left Michelle sat alone, in the dim light of the office as she headed off to the kitchen to make them both a drink. She felt they needed to have a little chat about all of this, it had obviously come as a surprise to Michelle and it was clear she was in shock. But in the office on her own Michelle had other ideas. The two little red lines on the pregnancy test stared at her almost jumping from the little window as they mocked her in their own way. She couldn't take it another second longer, she was pregnant and she was scared. For a moment or two she was too scared to move and then without warning or hesitation she pushed back her chair and ran, as fast as she could all the way home.

Carla didn't notice Michelle leave and didn't realise she had disappeared until she re-entered the office and saw the little white stick that had been abandoned on the desk. She sighed loudly to herself and placed the drinks down on the desk beside the test so she could resume her drinking alone. Carla pulled a new stack of paperwork onto her desk and refilled her scotch but no matter how hard she tried to concentrate on business she couldn't help but get distracted thinking about Michelle.

Michelle slammed the door to the flat, closed her eyes and pressed her back against it as she symbolically tried to close the world out. She hadn't noticed that to one side of her Steve had laid the dining table. It had a red silk tablecloth, two lit candles whose flames danced gently and two wine glasses with a bottle of chilled white in the middle. Michelle took a deep cleansing breath in and that's when she smelt the candles burning away. Her eyes slowly flickered open and she noticed that the table was set and the lighting dim but no one seemed to be home. She wandered away from the door and silently stood beside the dining table taking in what she saw. It was beautiful.

Steve came in the front door, he hoped Michelle wouldn't yet be back because he hadn't finished planning his surprise for her. His hands were full of the Chinese he had just purchased, Michelle knew he couldn't cook so he wouldn't fool her with the take away but it was the thought that counted. He's rushed there and back and was panting heavily and almost out of breath as he opened the flat door and stepped inside. Michelle stood there like a creepy shadow scared him, he hadn't expected to find her there and she didn't look happy. He grinned in that stupid way he always did when he was up to something and it made Michelle smile.

He placed the bags on the counter as he busied himself grabbing the plates he was warming and placed them on the table. He urged her to take a seat, behaving like a true gentleman and pulling her chair out for her so she could sit. Michelle was still smiling, so Steve knew he had had a good idea. He pulled all the containers from the bags and started opening them all up, unfolding the tinfoil as noisily as he could unintentionally but Michelle could tell it was because he was somewhat nervous. There was an awkward silence between them as Steve bought to the table her favourite dish and plonked the contents out sloppily onto the plate. Michelle thanked him as she let the smell of the delicious food excite her senses. Steve emptied his choice out on to his plate and then scurried back over to the counter rustling the bag and tipping something into a bowl. He raced back to the table and placed in front of Michelle a big bowl of chips.

"_Tah-Dah! For you darling, cheer you up a bit" _said Steve proudly as he produced the bowl from behind his back. Michelle gave a giggle at the sentiment of him buying her comfort food. Then he took his seat opposite her, he couldn't place his finger on what exactly but even though Michelle looked happy she looked somewhat different. Picking up the bottle of wine he filled her glass first and then his own. Steve couldn't take his eyes off of her as he tried to figure out what was different, it was really bugging him. Suddenly his stomach decided to offer distraction by rumbling so hard people in the next street must have mistaken it for an earthquake. He laughed at himself and Michelle laughed too. He couldn't hold out any longer, picking up his fork he twisted onto it some noodles and then shoved them into his mouth like a starved animal. Michelle sighed, still smiling as she watched him, shove in mouthful after mouthful of noodles, bless him she thought, even when Steve is trying to be romantic he still reverts back to his sloppy clumsy self and she loved him for it.

"_Thank you" _she mumbled so quietly that Steve almost didn't hear her.

He looked up, noodles hanging from his lips and grinned exposing more of the food caught between his teeth. Quickly he chewed the mouthful and swallowed it down before taking a few gulps of wine to clear his throat. _"You're welcome, just wanted to show you how much I love you after all we've …" _Steve said trailing off the end not wanting to go into detail and bring up something that might result in row between them.

"_Well it's lovely" _said Michelle as she scooped up a forkful of her own food and placed it somewhat more gracefully than Steve had managed in her mouth. She chewed and chewed at the mouthful until it had lost all taste. At first it had been like heaven and she couldn't deny she was hungry but now she couldn't bring herself to swallow it. Her throat felt like it had closed up and when she tried she gagged. She kept the food in her mouth hoping that if she chewed it some more she could get down this one mouthful. Luckily she just about managed it but had to force it down with a sip of wine, which for some reason tasted vile to her.

She wasn't going to be able to eat the meal and it was such a waste because she could feel her stomach aching for want of food. Picking up her fork she pushed her food around the plate, trying to make it look as though she'd eaten more than the one mouthful when on Steve's plate it was practically clear. Reaching for a chip she decided to see if her taste buds would accept that offering. Hopeful she bit into the fried potato and luckily managed to chew and swallow the entire piece but it also tasted off. Steve's fork clattered down on his plate, he was finished, looking over at Michelle he glanced at her plate.

"_You not hungry?" _he asked surprised. It was her favourite she usually ate it as quick as him. He knew something was definitely wrong but he would continue with his surprise until something made the normal Michelle appear. The next part was sure to do the trick. He stood up from his chair, the sudden movement after scoffing his dinner making him accidentally burp. He excused himself, feeling rather embarrassed and then moved closer to Michelle until he was stood by her side. Slightly confused Michelle turned on her chair to face him. Steve took a deep breath it was time, he was putting his heart on the line for this chance to be happy with Michelle. It had taken him all day to pluck up the courage to do this and now he was actually going to ask her. He got down on one knee and Michelle felt her heart suddenly start beating erratically in her chest. This could only mean one thing. Steve looked up at Michelle expectantly and took her hand. Reaching into his pocket with his free hand he pulled out a small red velvet box and opened the lid as he said;

" Michelle Connor, will you marry me?"


	9. Chapter 9

Michelle was in shock, had he really just asked her to marry him? It was amazing, of course she wanted to, she loved Steve more than anything, with exception of her son Ryan of course, but agreeing to marry him would mean she'd have to be honest and tell him about the baby. Steve was still down on one knee gazing at her expectantly for an answer. She couldn't keep him waiting forever, a small pause like there had been was to be expected but a second longer and it would just make it obvious she was doubting her feelings.

"_Yes, yes of course I will" _Michelle suddenly exclaimed.

That was it, all over and done with, Steve was happy, ecstatic even that she had said yes. In the silent pause that was so intense between him asking and her answering he'd suddenly felt very nervous that she didn't love him enough to say yes to marriage and commit to him like that but now it was confirmed. Michelle was going to become Mrs McDonald and he couldn't be happier. He fumbled getting the big sparkling diamond ring from the box and with a shaking hand slid it onto her left hand. It looked even more exquisite on her slender finger tipped with a well-manicured nail. Just perfect.

Getting up Steve hurried to the kitchen and crouched down after opening the fridge so he practically disappeared behind the counter. From it he pulled a bottle of champagne he'd purchased earlier for them to celebrate with and popped back up with a huge grin on his face.

"_This calls for celebration!" _he chirped happily as he grabbed two glasses from the cupboard and hurried back to Michelle to pop bottle open. He struggled for a while trying to pop the cork and managed to seconds later where it sprang in the direction of the door. A few moments later and it would have hit Ryan, who had just made it back home and not alone. As he walked in the door, one of his cheeky grins painted upon his face Michelle noticed who was with him. A shy and suddenly rather embarrassed Katy had her head down as like a lost puppy she held his hand and allowed him to lead her inside. Surprised to see his mum and Steve being all romantic after all of their weeks of fighting and arguing he gave a little giggle, had Steve just asked her?

"_What's going on?" _ he asked trying to act innocently.

"_Well…" _answered Steve as he stood with the champagne bottle in his hand and the bubbles over flowing and rushing down the bottleneck. _"Me and your mum are getting married…She said yes" _ he explained happily.

Ryan was so chuffed for them both, finally if they had their own future to focus on they wouldn't be so concerned with his. He offered his congratulations and then not wanting to interfere in their party turned to head for his bedroom exposing Katy a little bit more to the room than she had been quietly hiding behind his back. Steve hadn't really noticed her, but Michelle had and she was glaring at not only Katy awkwardly but her sons back as he tried to drag the innocent young mother into his room. Well no way was she allowing this under her roof.

"_Ryan" _she stated firmly, her dissatisfaction so obvious in her voice even Steve took notice and finally realised something had annoyed her.

"_yeah" _he stated as he turned and glanced at his mother, who was now sat with her arms folded crossly across her chest.

"_What are you up to with her?" _she asked blatantly and purposely not using Katy's name because if she were going to hang around with her son and act as if she shouldn't be treated with any consideration or respect then she would give her none. She had been where Katy was now, a young mum and alone but she knew that Ryan would be of no use to her at all, she'd be better off to stop chasing this and to try and work things out with Chesney.

"_So?" _asked Michelle again, when Ryan shrugged his shoulders in response and she was dissatisfied.

"_We're just going to hang mum, chill will you" _answered Ryan childishly as he turned and continued to head off to his room.

"_No way Ryan, no not in my home" _said Michelle making him stop dead in his tracks.

Steve felt somewhat useless and stuck in the middle, this was all certain to spoil the mood and that would be it for the night. If Ryan defied her she'd be fuming and he would be in trouble if he didn't back her up. He needed to do something, win Michelle over but he didn't want to upset things with Ryan when they had bonded so well. He continued to stand awkwardly, the only thing between Ryan and Michelle as he decided whether or not to interfere.

"What is your problem mum? Katy is a friend we're just hanging out" protested Ryan as he let go of her hand and slowly approached his mum.

Michelle stood so not as to be inferior to her son and kept her firm and angry gaze on him as she delivered her retaliation. _"She has a baby at home and that's where she should be, not messing around with you" _

It was harsh, and an emotional low blow on Michelle's part but it was the truth. Katy suddenly felt very hurt, Michelle's words about her hurt. She didn't want to stay and before anyone could say anything more she made a dash for the door and disappeared. Ryan called out after her and frowned at his mum as he quickly ran after a very upset Katy who was now running down the street to get home before he could catch her.

Steve looked over at Michelle who was fuming, this whole thing between Katy and Ryan really did annoy her and that was so apparent as she stood firm in the living room even after the pair of them had left. With a tight lipped grin Steve awkwardly tried to start off where they had left their celebrations and so poured to glasses of the no longer fizzy champagne. He handed a glass to Michelle who now felt the stress was getting to her, she took it and raised the glass to her lips. With complete disregard for the tiny little life form in her uterus she gulped down the alcohol and held her glass out for another top up. Steve poured it, just a little concerned though about how quickly she had consumed the previous serving and watched as she did the same with her second glass.

"_Cheers" _he stated nodding and smiling at her.

Michelle placed the empty glass back down on the table and still in a foul mood strode towards the bedroom, where she disappeared inside and slammed the door leaving Steve alone on the outside sipping his champagne and celebrating their engagement alone. Michelle just wanted to be by herself, that whole scene had just been so ugly that she wanted to forget it all. Why was her life such a mess, she had a brilliant man who cared for her and he had just asked her to spend her life with him in matrimony but her son was a mess, labelled as a home wrecker for splitting up Katy and Chesney's happy little family. That reflected badly on her as a mother and she knew people were judging her as a parent for his behaviour and then there was the small matter of the unborn baby she hadn't planned and that she still wasn't sure how she felt towards. It was all so exhausting Michelle flopped down on the bed, all those thoughts buzzing around her head painfully before she finally drifted off to sleep.


	10. Chapter 10

Morning came and Steve woke with an aching neck on the sofa. He had blacked out there the night before after not feeling comfortable going into the bedroom with an upset Michelle. He sat up, blinking as the bright light of morning flooded into the room and blinded him, Steve couldn't help feeling disappointed with how last night had turned out. On the plus side at least Michelle had said yes before Ryan had managed to turn her mood sour. Mrs Steve McDonald. He liked the way that would sound as Michelle's married name, yes it would suit her perfectly.

Steve got up from his seated position and stretched whilst yawning in an attempt to wake himself up properly. Looking around the flat was still a mess from last night. Taking a deep breath he looked around deciding where best to start clearing up. The less Michelle had to complain about this morning the better it would be for everyone. Making his way to the table he stacked up the dishes, now covered in dried sauce and remnants of the Chinese from last night. What a treat for him it would be having to scour these clean this morning.

Michelle woke suddenly with what she thought was just the sensation of vomit rushing up her throat but upon sitting up she realised it was very much a reality. Throwing back the duvet she hurried to get to the bathroom before she couldn't hold it any longer and ended up wearing it instead. With her hand clamped firmly across her mouth Michelle slammed the bathroom door behind her and the sudden loud noise of it all almost made Steve drop the plates he was holding in fright. He hadn't expected her up just yet.

Michelle fell to her knees at the toilet bowl and stared heaving quite violently as the bile burnt her throat. She'd never known vomiting to be as painful as this not even when she'd had morning sickness when she was pregnant with Ryan. For now it felt like she was going to throw up her actual stomach and she hoped it wouldn't last much longer. Heaving as she finally finished, nothing but acid now coming up as she coughed, Michelle panted for breath and felt her throat was dry and itchy. She waited, hovering her head still over the bowl to make sure that was the last of it. The smell of what she'd previously chucked up very off putting and making her feel even more unwell. She needed to get out of there and so as she stood up she flushed the contents of the toilet away.

She wanted to curl up in a ball and so turned to exit the bathroom where she caught site of herself in the mirror. She was deathly pale, black circles under her eyes from smudged make up and she looked as rough and ill as she felt. Sickened by her image she turned away, unable to look at herself a second longer and slouched as she dragged herself into the hall.

"_Morning" _chirped Steve stupidly as he caught sight of her.

She gave a weak smile by way of response, she didn't feel much like talking. Her head was starting to throb and she felt too tired to even want to keep herself standing upright. She just didn't have the energy. Steve noticed she looked a little peaky but then again it was still quite early. He approached her slowly and with caution not wanting to stress her out in anyway.

"_You okay?" _he asked, concerned by her pale complexion.

Michelle nodded and gave him an expressionless look, she didn't know how she really felt but he was the last person she felt like opening up to right now. Turning her back on him she opened Ryan's door and peeked in to see his bed empty. Shaking her head in disgust that he hadn't even bothered to come home and had probably shacked up in Katy's room at Anna's for the night Michelle slammed the door back shut and stormed off into her own bedroom.

Steve was only too used to these moods of hers. They were growing more and more frequent especially where Ryan was concerned. He could tell Michelle loved her son so very much but he really did frustrate her with his immaturity. Shrugging it off as one of those days where he and Michelle would probably not even utter a word to each other her returned to the stack of washing up he now had to do and wished they'd eaten the take out from the trays to save him from having to make the effort.

In the bedroom Michelle went to climb back beneath the duvet when she looked over at the clock. It was later than she had thought, almost nine! Great, she thought, now I'm going to be late for work. Maybe Carla would be more forgiving today now she knew what was going on she hoped. Michelle suddenly found herself looking back in the mirror, nothing she threw on looked right, nothing felt right, she was just irritated. She ended up settling for some black straight leg jeans that now seemed tighter and a top that would pass as smart enough for the office. Teamed with her boots and pulling her hair back into a ponytail it was the most presentable she was going to be able to make herself.

As she patted on her make up she suddenly caught sight of the diamond sparkling away on her finger from last night. Looking at it shimmering for a minute she smiled and then had second thoughts about wearing it for the day. She wasn't ready to announce her engagement to the street just yet. She slipped the delicate ring from her finger and twiddled it in her fingertips for just a moment before going to place it on the side. She was about to leave without it when she felt guilty for taking it off, if Steve saw surely he'd feel hurt. Picking the ring back up she slipped it on to the opposite hand and left the bedroom.

She called out goodbye to Steve as she left in such a hurry it took a minute for him to register that she had actually gone. The street was busy as she hurried around the corner to the factory. She rushed up the steps and burst into the factory so quickly she made her own head spin. Apologetic as she appeared at the office door she chucked her coat on a hook, dumped her bag by her desk and got straight to work.

"_Everything ok?" _asked Carla, eyeing her friend suspiciously.

"_Yeah" _Lied Michelle as she got her computer up and running and started sorting through her workload for the day as way of distraction. She hoped today would go quickly and she could return home to disappear into her bed until she figured out what to do about the baby.

"_Good" _chirped Carla as she stood up and grabbed her own bag.

"_You're in charge, because I have a meeting. See ya later" _explained Carla as she made a swift exit.

Michelle didn't even have time to protest, with all the stuff she had going on right now she was way too pre-occupied to run this place smoothly by herself. Where was Rob and why couldn't he do it? She thought as she sunk back in her chair starting to sulk at the added stress she suddenly felt. Today just got a whole lot longer, she sighed and then jumped out of her skin, when Julie bounced in with a cup of tea for her. Thankfully she took it, leaning back in her chair and trying to relax as she sipped away at the sweet hot beverage. Carla had better not be gone all day she thought because they way she felt she would be relocating her office to the toilet by lunch time.


	11. Chapter 11

Carla didn't return until the middle of the afternoon and Michelle was now slumped over her desk nearly half asleep. She was in agony, been running back and forth to the ladies all day with constant sickness. The acid bubbled away in her stomach and she hadn't even managed to consume any lunch when she'd sent Fiz across to Roy's for a bacon sarnie.

"_You look awful" _stated Carla in a harsh tone as she breezed passed and threw herself into her chair.

"_So have you told Steve yet?" _she asked excitedly.

Michelle thought it wicked of her to ask as she were and looked up from her desk to glare at Carla. How dare she, thought Michelle as she stayed silent, frightened that if she reacted it would just result in her spewing all over the papers on her desk. She shook her head and then put it back down, peace and quiet was all she craved after her hectic morning.

"_You really should" _advised Carla.

That was it, Michelle couldn't stand another second in the factory, with Carla sniping and trying to offer advice on something she knew nothing about. As she stood up she sent her chair flying back as it slid out from under her. As soon as she had made the vigorous movement she regretted it. It didn't make her feel any better and actually made her want to sit back down and try to ignore the pain but she was making a stand and needed to march out as she had planned for Carla to get the message she was annoyed.

After taking a minute to collect herself and get over the initial shock feeling that she was going to be sick, Michelle turned and stormed out of the office as she had intended to seconds ago. She fled the factory before Carla could even stop her or call for her to come back. Sinking in her chair Carla huffed, Michelle really needed to pull herself together and act like a grown up about this. Marching out every time Carla dared to ask about the baby was just not acceptable. In her mind she started mulling over some ideas, how could she make Michelle talk?

Michelle went straight home when she left the factory and upon heading inside was impressed to see the entire living room gleaming. Steve had spent all morning cleaning the place, every inch and dusting everything hoping that if he'd put in the effort Michelle's mood would instantly improve. He'd even taken the time to make the bed and tidy up his dirty clothes from the bedroom floor knowing that would definitely get him into Michelle's good books because she was always nagging him to sort it out.

The tidy flat did make Michelle smile momentarily but once she had the smell of all the cleaner well and truly inhaled she suddenly felt sick again. Racing for the bathroom she threw her bag down by the door and threw herself down at the toilet bowl just in time. Up came nothing but acid. She didn't even know why she was being sick when her stomach was so empty. She stayed there until she was convinced nothing more could come up before she stood up. She was freezing, shivering with every step she took to the bedroom. Pulling back the duvet she got into the bed without even noticing Steve's efforts where he had tided. It was four o'clock in the afternoon and Michelle was beat, today had well and truly taken its toll on her. Pulling the duvet in tight and cocooning herself within she drifted off to sleep in the quiet of her empty flat.

Ryan had just finished his shift in the kebab shop and was looking forward to meeting up with Katy for an after work drink at the Bistro. He'd thought of nothing else all day and was so pleased that they were getting along even if Katy was insistent that it was as just friends and nothing more. Ryan just didn't understand why though, Chesney was nothing special and he rated himself a much better catch for the single mother but he was sure she'd see that eventually, especially if he played his cards right. He'd loved spending last night with her but had felt a little bit awkward staying at Anna's last night with Owen insisting that he stay and sleep on the couch.

Ryan sensed he wasn't well liked by Katy's father and vowed that from now on they'd only ever stay together at his if the opportunity arrive. He just hoped his mum would be in a better frame of mind about it all in future. Closing the shop up as quickly as he darted upstairs to get changed not realising that his mum was home early. He strode around, getting a shower and changed into his best to go and meet Katy before leaving again.

The door slammed, unintentionally but as loudly as possible as Ryan left. The sudden noise rumbled through the flat and woke Michelle in shock. She was shivering and now in a state of fright. She had been alone, so who was or now wasn't home. Feeling tense and not able to relax again Michelle dragged her aching body from the bed and slowly wrapped herself in her dressing gown before creeping over to the bedroom door and out into the living room where Steve was just coming in. As he opened the front door and she appeared around the bedroom door it frightened her and the sight of him made her jump and scream which in turn made Steve yelp with shock.

"_Hey, 'Chelle, you're home earlier" _stated Steve as he stated the obvious.

"_Didn't feel well" _uttered Michelle as she dragged herself across the living room and into the kitchen to put on the kettle.

Steve was concerned but saw it as a bit of luck, this way he could spend some time with her. _"So I tidied up" _stated Steve proudly as he looked around at his efforts. Michelle muttered and nodded not really saying much about it as she clattered about with cups and tried to make them both a tea. She was moving swiftly as she reached for the sugar tin and pulled it towards her until she felt sick yet again, stopping and resting for a moment seemed to help. Her hand rested on the lid as her head bowed, she'd never known morning sickness to be this bad and decided this had to be something more.

"_Here let me do that" _ said Steve as he hurried to her side and placed his hands on her waist to gently usher her to one side. As nice as this gesture was supposed to be it annoyed Michelle, she felt ill that was all, she was capable of making a cup of tea.

"_It's ok, I can do it" _she protested, lifting the lid of the sugar and digging the spoon in with her shaking hand and then spilling most of it as she transferred it to the cup. Steve noted as he watched her actions her engagement ring was on the wrong hand.

"_Why is...umm...you're ring..." _Steve stuttered trying to ask her why it was on the wrong hand.

"_I just didn't want to make a big deal about it" _answered Michelle knowing full well what Steve was trying to ask. He frowned at her response but didn't dare ask why she didn't want people to know for fear of her snapping at him and perhaps calling off the whole engagement.

Carla was just getting ready to leave and lock up the factory, having let the machinists have a treat to go home early, when she glanced down to Michelle's desk and noticed the test still lying there amongst the paperwork. An idea quickly sprang to mind and she grabbed it, throwing it carelessly into her handbag. Crossing the street quickly Carla darted into the corner shop and as sweetly as she could asked Sophie for a two bottles of red from the back shelf. She smirked to herself as she headed back out onto the street and strode in the direction of Michelle's. Carla had devised a most cunning plan to try and catch Michelle out and she hoped that they would have this all sorted so that there was no further disruption caused at her factory.


	12. Chapter 12

The buzzer rang in the flat, Steve looked to Michelle and she looked to him. Neither of them was expecting company. Not that it was disturbing anything they had been sat in an awkward silence ever since Steve had tried to take over making the tea. Hadn't said a word to one another or talked even about what to have for dinner. Which Steve was beginning to regret with his stomach rumbling the way it was. He was starving.

It carried on ringing out as a persistent Carla stood outside with her finger pressed down on the call button adamant not to leave until someone answered. Steve huffed loudly when he realised Michelle had no intention of answering the call. She really was in a mood this time. Pressing down the answer button he called out _"Yes"_

"_Hi Steve" _came Carla's voice in a chirpy but almost sarcastic tone through the speaker.

"_Its Carla" _said Steve glancing over at a moody Michelle still huddled up on the sofa.

"_I heard" _she said in a sulky tone. Steve sighed and pressed to tell Carla to come up and release the door.

"_Good Evening" _she exclaimed as she burst in.

Michelle couldn't help observing that Carla was in a particularly good mood this evening but why had she graced them with her presence. She thought Carla would be angry with her after her performance in the factory today and her storming out so why was she here like nothing bothered her. Carla smiled awkwardly at Steve as she passed by him and confidently plonked herself down on the sofa beside Michelle.

"_Be a darling Steve, get us some glasses" _she said smiling at him and the pulling one of the bottles of wine out and placing it on the coffee table.

Michelle glared at Carla, wine, really? She knew Michelle's condition she wasn't going to be able to drink that. Carla responded with a tight-lipped smile, Michelle's thoughts Carla's intention exactly. She was giving her a choice, refuse the drink and explain to Steve why or drink away with no concern for the embryo within. It wasn't fair but Carla knew better than anyone, life wasn't fair.

Steve bought over three glasses as Carla opened up the bottle, still grinning ear to ear as she began to put her plan in motion. Pouring contents into all three glasses Carla handed one to Steve and another to Michelle. She declared 'cheers' as she clinked her glass against Michelle's and took a sip of her wine. It was cruel of her but Michelle had left her no choice, she had to choose, tell Steve or risk losing the baby.

Michelle didn't give her unborn child a thought and copied Cara's move by taking a sip of her own wine. Carla took another and Michelle followed suit. It was as a stand off, so obvious the tension between them but an oblivious Steve failed to notice the subtleties of it all. Carla had only too soon emptied her glass and poured herself another and Michelle was not far behind. Carla offered the bottle, gesturing she'd pour her friend another and waiting for her to shake her head to refuse but instead Michelle offered out her glass and let Carla pour her another generous helping.

Carla had to give Michelle credit she was committed to this, a second glass of red wine when she was pregnant was certainly daring. It was all mind games and they both knew it, their rivalry slowing beginning to appear at the surface but a complacent Steve still failed to notice as he sipped his own drink in the corner. Carla thought the act would be over soon. Even if Michelle could consume that second glass a third would without a doubt surely be harmful to the foetus.

"_You sure you wanna drink that?" _asked Carla, dropping it into the general but tense conversation they had started up as she stared at Michelle with a cold, hard glance.

A defiant Michelle stared back and nodded, she knew what Carla was trying to do and there was no way that she was going to give in. Steve was not going to know about the baby until she had decided whether she actually wanted the child or not. It was none of Carla's business to get involved in these private matters that didn't concern her and if she didn't give it up and quick Michelle was not going to be happy with her at all. She glared in warning at Carla as she took a sip of the wine and felt it wash down her throat.

Steve sat confused in the background listening to the pleasantries the girls were exchange and beginning to notice that it all seemed to be a little forced. He sensed tension between them building but nothing that caused him any concern. If anything he actually felt like a spare part, in the way at girl time and that he was the reason for the awkwardness in the room. He quickly downed his wine and put the glass down on the side as he went to get his coat. If he left them to it maybe they would get it all out of their systems, whatever it was that was causing them to be like this with each other.

"_Right, Just heading out" _stated Steve oddly and Carla turned round to face him.

"_No" _she insisted _"Stay, have another drink with us Steve" _Carla teased as she picked up the bottle and waved it at him.

"_Come on" _she goaded playfully _"Tell him Chelle, he should stay, have another drink" _Carla said as she faced Michelle, her eyes twinkling.

"_Yes" _said Michelle through gritted teeth but she would prefer if he sensed her tone and left anyway. She didn't want him hanging around. The sooner he was gone the sooner she could lay into Carla about this unfair set up.

"_No, no you two have fun" _answered Steve. He had most definitely read Michelle's warning and knew he needed to go. Giving a tight lipped awkward smile he disappeared.

Michelle waited until she heard the front door slam before throwing her glass of wine down onto the table in front of her and spilling it from the sides. She was fuming, almost shaking with rage as she stood up and huffed glaring at Carla. Her nostrils flared as she built herself up and thought very carefully about how she was going to play this, she needed to say just the right thing to express her feelings about all this clearly.

"_Sit down Michelle" _demanded Carla, angry now herself that Steve had gone and Michelle's little secret wasn't going to be exposed. _"'Chelle" _she snapped when Michelle ignored her.

"_Why did you do that?" _Michelle suddenly yelled. She was desperately trying to control her emotions. She could feel herself getting upset at the silence when Carla didn't snap back right away. She clenched and unclenched her fists at her sides, just wanting to act out and hurt Carla for being such a bitch.

"_Steve needs to know Michelle" _Carla yelled back loudly as she stood up and made eye contact with Michelle.

"_Its none of your business Carla. Who do you think you are, coming in here trying to cause trouble?" _Michelle hurled back at her. How dare she tell her that she should tell Steve yet again.

"Chelle, he needs to know"

"_No he doesn't" _she screamed back as she started to cry.

"Be reasonable, it's his baby too you have to tell him"

"_No, I told you it's none of your business Carla. Go home" _screamed Michelle, her face reddening as she slowly upset herself more and more.

Downstairs Steve had ventured back having forgotten his wallet. As he came to the front door he could hear muffled shouts being thrown back and for the between the two of them but hadn't had time to comprehend what any of them actually related to. For a minute he thought about turning back but then he realised he was going to need his wallet if he was going to hit the pub. With all of the shouting between them neither Carla nor Michelle had heard him come back in. As Steve opened the door slowly he heard Carla shout something he had not been expecting.

"_Chelle, its his baby too, you cannot keep this from him" _

Her eyes were locked on Michelle's as they stood only paces apart and were both breathing erratically in their wound up states. Michelle was about to scream back that it was none of Carla's business for what felt like the fifth hundredth time when Steve made his presence known by giving an awkward cough. He stepped inside as they both turned to look at him. Michelle panicked, had he just heard what Carla had said.


	13. Chapter 13

"_Steve...I" _stuttered Michelle praying he hadn't heard Carla's little outburst.

"_What's going on?" _He asked in a raised voice, looking a little hurt and stepping further into the scene.

Carla glared at Michelle with wide warning eyes, if she didn't tell him right now she would. The poor man had a right to know he was due to be a father before Michelle made a decision without him. Carla wouldn't usually be so concerned and in the past none of this would have mattered but now her and Michelle were more like best friends and sisters she was concerned for her happiness and well being.

"_Michelle?" _asked Steve when nothing came but silence. He glanced at her, then at Carla and then back to Michelle expectantly before feeling himself getting agitated. _"Will someone please tell me what is going on?" _he stressed.

"_Michelle's pregnant" _Carla just blurted out.

Michelle's eyes widened as she stared at Carla with a building rage. That was completely unnecessary, she didn't have to do that and it wasn't her place. Michelle was fuming, in temper she screamed and screamed at Carla to leave until she choked herself and was breathless. Taking deep breaths Michelle tried to calm herself as she watched Carla collect her things and go. She looked pleased with herself for causing all this havoc which just infuriated Michelle further.

Inside Steve and Michelle were left in an awkward silence. Neither of them knew what to say to one another. It was a shock for Steve to find out this way and he was horrified when Michelle returned to her seat on the sofa and grabbed the half glass of wine she had been drinking with Carla earlier. He rushed and grabbed it from her before she managed to get it to her lips.

"_I don't think so" _he chorused comically as he whipped it away and hurried to pour it down the sink.

"_Hey" _yelled Michelle. She'd really wanted to drink that if for nothing more than to try and relax herself.

"_You're pregnant 'Chelle you can't drink that" _he stated firmly as he came and sat bedside her. _"When were you going to tell me?" _ he asked as he made a reach for her hand as an affectionate gesture.

Huffing and puffing she snatched her hand away from him and pulled her knees up to her chest as she stared forward. She wasn't ready to talk about this and was becoming increasingly annoyed by Steve's babbling on about the baby. She had stopped listening as he continued on and on getting excited as he began to discuss baby names and how wonderful this news was to celebrate with their engagement, oh and how thrilled his mother would be.

"_Will you just shut up!" _snapped Michelle eventually. He had officially pushed it as far as she was going to allow.

Steve looked hurt by his finance's outburst and sat back slumping moodily at the other side of the sofa. He didn't understand her mood. This was good news surely, their own little family what more could she want.

"_What is wrong 'Chelle?" _he eventually mustered up the courage to ask.

"_Nothing" _she snapped quickly.

"_Well I think something is wrong why aren't you happy about the baby?" _he questioned.

Michelle ignored the question, just for a minute though as it became obvious that Steve was expectant of an answer. She still didn't know how she felt about the tiny being growing inside her and she hadn't made the decision to keep it yet or not. She was frustrated and angry when she snapped back the impulsive response that came to mind.

"_You know why Steve, because there is no baby" _

No sooner had the words passed her lips she realised what she had said. but Steve was mumbling back at her trying to process what she had said and what Carla had said. He was confused, why would Carla say that if it wasn't true. He had to know.

"_Then why did Carla..." _he started but didn't get to finish his question before Michelle interjected.

"_Because Carla is a bitch" _

Getting up Michelle went to leave the room, she had come home to take some time to think and that is what she really needed to do right now. As she walked in the direction of the bedroom Steve tried to ask again, still not understanding why Carla would say such a thing out of spite.

Michelle turned and growled as she glared at Steve. _"Carla and I fell out, she's doing this to be vindictive and nothing more Steve, there is no baby and there never was. Now will you drop it" _she screamed as she entered the bedroom and slammed the door to mark the intensity of her anger.

Carla would be sorry for doing this to her she thought. She had put her in an impossible position Michelle didn't appreciate it in the slightest. Flopping down on the bed she curled herself up the best she could into a ball and began to cry. Her outburst to Steve in anger must confirm how she felt she thought, she had denied the existence of her unborn child and that must mean she did not want him or her. She cried hard, very hard at the thought of having had no time to assess the situation appropriately and that the decision had been forced out of her hands by Carla. At least she had someone to blame she thought.

In the living room a dumbfounded and still shocked Steve tried to get all the facts straight in his head. He just didn't believe Carla would say such a thing and be so hurtful over a stupid fall out at the factory. Surely she wasn't that cold, maybe a few years ago but not now after all she had been through. He made a decision that he would go and confront Carla on all of this. If she was doing this out of spite it wasn't fair to distress Michelle like this and try to cause such disruption in their happy little home.


	14. Chapter 14

Heading in the direction of the bookies Steve kept his head down and his pace quick. His mind racing as he thought through everything and still tried to compute why Carla would have heartlessly toyed with the rumour of a baby out of spite. Reaching the flat door he pressed the bell and waited for an answer from above.

"_Hello" _came Peter's voice.

"Hiya mate, its Steve, is Carla home?"

"_Yes mate. Come up" _said Peter's crackly voice as he released the door to let his friend up.

"So everything ok?" asked Peter as he entered the kitchenette, fag in hand and confused by Steve's out of the blue visit.

Awkwardly Steve looked at Peter and breathed in through gritted teeth. He suddenly felt very uncomfortable but he and Peter were friends and he hoped that maybe he could shed some light on things. _"Not really" _he explained rocking back and forth on his heels.

"_You wanted Carla didn't you, hang on a second mate" _stated Peter suddenly dashing out and round passed Steve and to the bedroom door.

"_Steve's here to see you love" _he called through to her and Carla mumbled some sort of response in an annoyed sounding tone.

"_So what's up mate?" _said Peter as he came back into view. _"She won't be a moment" _he explained and gestured for Steve to sit as he placed himself comfortably on the couch.

"_Michelle and Carla, had some sort of fall out" _stated Steve.

Peter looked shocked, Carla hadn't mentioned anything and she was usually fairly forthcoming when it came to explaining her relationship with her friend. He didn't dare to ask Steve for the details though, he suspected he knew as little as he did himself and that he was here for answers from Carla.

Seconds later from the bedroom Carla emerged, leisurely dressed and came to join them in the living room. Sitting in the chair to one side she smiled at Steve and asked. _"So to what do I owe the pleasure?" _

Both she and Steve knew exactly why but Carla didn't want a scene in front of Peter. She waited for Steve to say something and watched as he awkwardly shuffled in his seat and licked his lips nervously. He found Carla very intimidating and to a point always had. She was staring at him with wide and intense eyes like she was waiting to pounce on her prey. Peter automatically detected atmosphere between them both and quickly made his excuse to get out of the way.

No sooner had he disappeared into the bedroom did Carla ask her earlier question again and Steve finally managed to say something.

"Michelle says you two have fallen out and that you were just saying about the baby to be spiteful"

Carla scoffed at the ridiculous accusation. Steve really was simple enough to believe such rubbish. Shaking her head she looked away from Steve and then quickly reaffirmed her gaze onto him. He was clearly serious he honestly believed it. Grinning she gave him a reply that she was certain would reassure him she had no intention of being so hurtful.

"_Why would I lie Steve?" _

"_I don't know" _retorted Steve not liking that she seemed to be mocking him.

"_Michelle has been acting odd for days now. I found out about the baby through her own carelessness and she wasn't going to tell you. I gave her time to tell you. She doesn't want it Steve and she wasn't going to give you a choice. So there you go it's all true" _ said Carla seeing that the confused man needed some reassurance.

Steve was shocked as once again he tried to process what Carla had told him. Silently he stared at her trying to think about what to say next. He was in two minds as to whether he believed his fiancé or if he believed Carla instead.

In the bedroom Peter had heard their muffled voices outside, it sounded intense but he was just trying to keep busy until they were done. Tidying up he started to pick up Carla's discarded clothing from the floor and deposit it in the wash basket. On the bed the sheets were a mess and just tossed on top of it was Carla's bag, the contents spilling out. Picking it up Peter started throwing everything back in when he noticed a pregnancy test lying amongst what was left on the bed. Quickly he grabbed it gazed at the result. Two little lines on the screen peered up at him and he felt his heart stop. He was sure that meant a positive result. Was Carla pregnant?

Steve shook his head, no his mind was made up, he didn't believe her at all. Michelle wouldn't keep that secret from him.

"_She wouldn't keep that from me Carla, I know she wouldn't" _

"_You want proof" _yelled Carla getting up from her seat and finding she was becoming increasingly frustrated by Steve's stupidity.

"_You don't have any" _yelled Steve back sure that Carla wasn't able to prove whether Michelle had lied or not.

"_Wait here" _stated Carla firmly as she quickly headed to the bedroom.

Hearing Carla outside Peter quickly shoved the test into his pocket. This was no time to confront Carla what with Steve in their presence. Smiling awkwardly as she came in he stated that he was just going to pop out. Some fresh air was just what he needed and maybe a chat with Michelle. Perhaps this was what they had fallen out over. Knowing Steve was still upstairs with Carla he couldn't think of a more opportune time. Turning up his collar and protecting his fag from the wind he headed to her flat.

Carla frantically searched her handbag, sure that she had had the test in there but was struggling to find it. Tipping it upside down she tipped the contents out on the bed and spread them about. Where had it gone, its not like pregnancy tests just disappear. Feeling slightly embarrassed but sure she had been in possession of it earlier she returned to Steve.

"_So?" _he quizzed suspecting she had nothing.

"_I had it earlier, I know I did" _she stated.

"_Had what?" _asked Steve confused.

"_The test Steve, she left it on the desk at work" _answered Carla.

Steve was shocked, maybe there was proof. Then Carla had a thought.

"_Peter!" _she exclaimed.

"_What about Peter?" _asked Steve clearly not on the same wavelength.

Carla had only just realised, her handbag hadn't been where she had left it. Peter must have found the test when he had picked it up and moved it but what had he done with it. He had just said he was popping out surely he hadn't got far. If they were quick they could catch him and find out.

"_Come on" _snapped Carla hurrying from the flat.

Steve was confused but did as he was told. Both of them rushed out of the front door and Carla just caught sight of Peter disappearing up the street and in the direction of the kebab shop. Calling out his name she ran to catch up with him. Steve not far behind her but completely in the dark about what was unfolding. Peter didn't hear her even though she sounded desperate to stop him. Reaching Michelle's flat he pressed the buzzer and waited for her to answer.

"_Hi Michelle, it's Peter" _he stated clearly.

Seconds later Michelle opened the door to see Peter and allowed him to come in and up to flat. She was as confused to see him as he had been earlier to see Steve.

Carla had seen Peter disappear inside and urged Steve to hurry and unlock the door so they could get inside and interrupt before something happened that was beyond her control. She suspected Peter had the test and was there to talk to Michelle thinking it might be that they had fallen out over and if that was the case the second Michelle had that test back in her possession the truth could be destroyed.

"_Hurry up Steve" _pressed a panicking Carla as he just about managed to get the door open and the hurried inside.

They burst into the flat before Peter had had a chance to say anything to Michelle and had only just taken a seat on the sofa. Folding her arms across her chest Michelle glanced at Peter who turned to see the commotion caused by his girlfriends entrance with Steve and then glared at them both as they straightened themselves up.

"_So…what's this all about then?" _she stated furiously.


	15. Chapter 15

There was a stalemate silence no one knowing what to say next. It was awkward as Michelle furiously waited for some sort of explanation from either Carla or Steve. Peter was looking directly at Carla now, he assumed most of this commotion had something to do with her. Backing Michelle up he questioned too hoping that Carla would volunteer an explanation as it was no more than Michelle deserved.

"_Well?" _asked Michelle again when they still remained silent.

"_You need to tell Steve the truth" _said Carla, trying to turn this back around on her friend.

At the end of her tether now with Carla pushing and pushing this subject Michelle yelled in frustration at her _"Stop causing trouble Carla" _

Peter put his hand in his pocket and fumbled around for the test. He knew it had to be the root cause of their fall out but to which of them did it really belong. Surely if it was Michelle's she would have had it and it wouldn't have been in Carla's bag? Slowly bringing it from his pocket he coughed making everyone aware that he wanted their attention. All three of them turned their gaze to him and instantly Michelle and Carla noted the little white stick gripped in his hand.

"_See there's your proof" _Carla exclaimed turning to Steve and looking pleased with herself.

Michelle dared not say anything, she didn't wish to bring attention to the fact she was terrified that Steve and the test were in the same room but she didn't understand why Peter had it. He was face to face with the evidence Carla had promised but question was did he believe it? Michelle hoped he didn't as she stood there anxious waiting to see what happened next. She was nervous and hoped it didn't show to her finance that Carla was telling the truth.

Steve demanded in his own comical but sarcastic way that Peter hand over what he was holding. His friend did so with out hesitation and as it passed from Peter's hand to Steve's Michelle found herself holding her breath. Steve examined it closely, his hand shaking as he looked down at the little screen. It meant nothing to him. A line on a screen, was that a good thing or bad?

He looked up to Michelle, his eyes watery making him look as if he was about to cry. _"What does that mean?" _he asked handing the test to Carla who took it with a grin and looked down at the screen glad to be finally delivering the truth. It was all going too well until she realised that the test she was holding was not the same as the one she had taken from Michelle's desk. Her own cheeks went rosy, this was going to be embarrassing.

"_Where did you get this Peter?" _she suddenly asked.

"_Your bag Carla, I came to see Michelle about it, thought it might have been why you had fallen out" _he answered innocently.

Carla was mortified, she shook her head and gave him a glare, she couldn't prove a thing with the wrong test but it still didn't answer what had happened with Michelle's she had had earlier. She had searched frantically for it back at the flat and it had disappeared, it was just unexplainable.

Michelle noted Carla's sudden smugness disappear, this obviously wasn't going to plan and she knew that it was annoying her. Smiling and now feeling quite smug herself she looked at Carla and with a mischievous glint in her eye and couldn't help aggravating the situation. _"Something wrong Carla?" _

It created again instant atmosphere between the two of them as an embarrassed Carla could not answer. Stood like a lemon and caught in all this was Steve, completely in the dark and not a clue what was actually unfolding. He still didn't have an answer to his question and so turned to look to Carla for further explanation. _"What does it mean? Is this Michelle's or not?" _

"_No it's not Michelle's?" _stated Carla sadly.

"_Then who's is it?" _piped in Peter.

Carla swallowed down the lump in her throat, this wasn't the outcome she had wanted at all. Sadly she looked to Peter but Michelle was revelling in her friends misery. Karma really was a bitch she thought smirking away as Carla stuttered to her own partner that it was hers.

"_Its not positive, but Michelle's is and I had it earlier I know I did" _protested Carla desperate to turn all the attention back to Michelle.

"_Oh stop lying Carla, you've been found out. You are a manipulative lying cow and now everyone can see that" _yelled Michelle nastily. It was time Carla left before she made an even bigger show of herself

"_You can go now then" _yelled Michelle so grateful that Carla's little plan had unravelled only to cause drama for herself.

Carla went to answer but Peter insisted they leave too. They had things of their own to discuss at home now and she had definitely caused enough commotion at Michelle's for one day. Peter practically had to drag her out of the door to make her leave but not before he had apologised to both Michelle and Steve on her behalf.

"_So you are not pregnant?" _asked Steve seriously as soon as they were alone again.

"_No, see I told you she was making it up baby" _answered Michelle sweetly as she came forward and rested her arms on his.

Steve pulled her in for a hug, for some reason he doubted that she would lie to him but he had a feeling she wasn't been truthful this time. Without proof he had no conviction, trying to put it to the back of his mind he held her tight and vowed silently he didn't care if there were a baby or not but he was dying to be a proper family. _"Michelle?" _he mumbled playfully into her hair.

"_Yeah" _she answered pulling away and looking up at him feeling a lot calmer now than she had been earlier that evening.

"_I wish there was a baby, I'm actually quite sad there's not" _said Steve innocently but it made Michelle act once again defensively.

"_I told you there wasn't and that's the end of the subject" _she stated in a raised tone that signified her annoyance. Why did he keep bringing the baby subject up when he knew it annoyed her so much? As far as Michelle was concerned Steve had totally ruined the moment again. Annoyed she stormed into the kitchenette and started clattering loudly as she went in search of some wine, anything to relieve the stress she now felt. Lately it was all too much pressure, the secret baby, the wedding, working with Carla that it was wearing her out. Something had to give and she needed to make the decision.

Taking a glass of wine she threw herself on the sofa beside Steve where he had now made himself comfy. _"Wanna watch a film?" _he grunted, feeling hurt from Michelle's rejection but not wanting to talk to her any more in case she reacted irrationally again. _"Suppose" _Michelle mumbled back as Steve searched the channels for something appropriate. The atmosphere between them was tense as they sat at opposite ends not speaking and blankly stared at the moving pictures but not taking anything in. Steve's mind was pre-occupied with thoughts of a family and why weren't they like everyone in the movies. Michelle however was weighing up the pros and cons of her dilemma's and none of them had many pros at all. The highest on the list right now was this baby, it was going to have to go and soon. Placing her hand on her stomach she rubbed gently and hoped Steve wouldn't notice, it was heartbreaking to think she was going to have to part with it but she felt she had no choice. Steve saw her out of the corner of his eye and noted the action, it was suspicious and made him think. Perhaps Michelle was pregnant and perhaps Carla wasn't lying. It was up to him to find out, and he was determined to.


	16. Chapter 16

Michelle woke the next morning with a groggy feeling in her head. It wasn't a hangover she was sure because one glass of wine did not have this effect on her but she felt so ill it could be mistaken for a hangover. Slowly she tried to get up and felt dizzy with every movement she made. It wasn't until she was sat upright and abruptly stood that she felt the vomit racing up her throat and knew she had only seconds to get to the bathroom before she spewed all over her bedroom carpet.

Steve was blissfully out for the count the other side of the bed. He didn't hear Michelle gagging as she hurried out of their room, or slam the bathroom door or retching over the bowl as the vomit came up violently. It was so acidic it burnt her throat and stank so much she could swear it was causing her to vomit more than normal. This morning sickness was going to get her in trouble soon if she wasn't careful but right now she couldn't think of anything more than how much pain it was causing her.

As she finally finished, the last of what was coming up just being clear liquid Michelle sat herself back up and gasped for breath. She was glad it was finished and desperately hoped that was her lot for the day. She felt rough and knew she looked equally as bad. She didn't feel weak but as she got up her legs gave way beneath her and she tumbled back to the floor. This frustrated Michelle and signified to her that today was just going to be one of those days. Sighing to herself she tried again to pick herself up off of the floor using anything around her for support when Steve, still sleepy and rubbing his eyes appeared at the door.

"_Morning" _he mumbled as he looked at her confused but with an air of humour. She looked like Bambi trying to scramble up onto her feet and he watched amused for a few seconds before he realised she would be angrier with him if he didn't help. Steve bounced forward and grabbed her helping her with her struggle and managed to get her up on her feet. She shook him off the second she was stable and he found that odd too, had he done something to irritate her or was this a sign he shouldn't ignore he suddenly pondered.

Steve wasn't as stupid as he sometimes looked. He could tell something was wrong this morning and that Michelle looked a little peaky, he could also smell vomit in the room. Michelle had flushed it away but the stench hung around her and the bathroom like a bad smell and because she could still taste it in her mouth she hadn't noticed. Steve with as blank expression as he could went to brush his teeth and was almost comedic with it as he glanced occasionally at his fiancé watching him in the mirror.

"_Alright?" _he asked, toothpaste foaming from his lips and chewing on his toothbrush. He was lucky Michelle had understood what he had said. She put on a brave face, smiled and nodded and then very abruptly left the room with her arms folded across her chest. Steve continued freshening himself up and hummed to himself as he began to get ready to take a shower.

Michelle having made her way back to bed was debating getting ready for work when she had second thoughts. She felt as rough as hell too and so climbed back into the sheets and tried to cocoon herself in the duvet. She screwed her eyes up and tried to force herself back to sleep but was failing. Steve was making one hell of a racket in the bathroom and singing loudly as he showered.

When Steve came back to the bedroom Michelle had the duvet up over her head. It wasn't comfortable for her and she felt claustrophobic and suffocated under its weight but it was the only way she could block out her surroundings. Steve was loud as he clattered around the bedroom getting dressed and threw his soaked towel onto the bed. She tried to ignore it but beneath her surface it was just annoying her. She gritted her teeth and stayed hidden as he whistled happily now dressed and just about ready to go and open up Streetcars.

When in the shower Steve had done some thinking, if he'd learnt anything about Michelle it was that if he pushed her she closed up. This time he was going to play it differently, he was going to ignore it and treat her normally until she opened up to him. The art of very little conversation and minimal affections should do the trick and by the end of the day she should come round.

"_Bye Michelle" _he called cheekily as he went to leave the flat.

The second the door slammed she let out a sigh of relief, alone again at last. Now to relax and try to plan her next step thought Michelle because there was still the issue of the baby she had to deal with. She didn't know where to start though because she was still in two minds as to how she felt. The biggest problem she had was that she had lied to Steve already and to tell him the truth now might make things worse. She pondered the idea of making a call to the clinic for advice for a few minutes and then shook the idea from her mind. She was determined she was head strong enough to make her own decision.

As she couldn't sleep she got back up and started cleaning frantically to take her mind off of things. She needed to just zone out and she did this better when she had another task to focus on. The flat hadn't had a good scrub in months and so she decided that would keep her busy enough. She got out everything she would need and started in the bathroom. The cleaning products were strong and overwhelming, she felt a little dizzy but kept on. It was just a feeling and it would pass. Once she was satisfied the bathroom was sparkling, which had taken her nearly three hours in total she went back out into the living room and started to pick at bits and pieces in there when her phone buzzed loudly on the side.

Picking it up she noted a message had been sent from none other than Carla and didn't really want to read it but was curious as to what she had to say.

_**'You coming to work today or taking mat leave early?' **_read the message.

Michelle shook her head and threw the phone back down, like she was going to dignify that with an answer knowing it was sarcastically written and not to mention insulting. She had well and truly had enough of Carla for this week at least. Getting back to her cleaning she let her mind go blank again. Why was everything such a mess in her home? She bent down to pick up Steve's shoes and put them back in the rack when she felt a painful twinge in her groin. It hurt so much that she was unable to straighten herself back up. Crouched she waddled back to the counter and grabbed her phone, sliding it along the worktop as she fell against it.

She was about to call for help when she heard someone come in and run up the stairs. This was where she prayed it wasn't Steve. Panting heavily she waited, so anxious and probably making everything worse by stressing. Her breathing hitched as the door open and in stepped Ryan cautiously. Holding his hand was Katy. Michelle rolled her eyes but was grateful to see him. Ryan didn't notice her straight away but when he did he dropped Katy's hand and rushed to her.

"_Mum what's happened?" _ he asked confused as he searched her eyes and waited for her to give some sort of explanation.

"_Ryan...look!" _exclaimed Katy from behind. He turned to look at her and she was pointing down at Michelle.

Katy had been first to notice, even Michelle hadn't but she was bleeding and heavily. It was the baby but Ryan didn't know. Michelle panicked and so did Ryan, if it hadn't been for Katy no one would have thought to call for an ambulance. Ryan comforted his mum as his new girlfriend made the call, now all they had to do was wait and hope things didn't worsen.


	17. Chapter 17

Steve was just on his way back to the cab office when his phone started ringing away on the passenger seat beside him. Steve peered over to see who was calling him and just about managed to recognise that it was Ryan's name flashing on the screen before the traffic started to move again. He had no choice but to go as the car behind him rudely beeped. He started off driving along as the phone went silent, but when it started again Steve started to wonder if maybe something was wrong. He kept going though despite the phone ringing and it went dead again. Seconds later and it was ringing again, still Ryan and Steve was beginning to feel wound up. What on earth could be so important?

It just didn't stop and Steve was beginning to get annoyed but really worried at the same time. Reaching for the phone he fumbled and kept taking his eyes off of the road until he managed to answer the call. He shouted to Ryan that he was driving and was speeding as he did so. He was nearly back so he was sure whatever it was that Ryan wanted so urgently that it couldn't wait; but Ryan suddenly started talking back, incomprehensible as he tried to explain what had happened.

Michelle had been loaded into the back of an ambulance, still bleeding and in an extreme amount of pain. Ryan and Katy had wanted to go with her but she had insisted that she was not and that she didn't want a fuss. After she had been whisked away, blue lights flashing and all the works Ryan had felt it only necessary to let Steve know about his mum. The only problem was that Ryan was in bits and for all the sense he was making to Steve he could have been trying to say anything. Steve could hear the distress in Ryan's voice and unmistakably he was upset but he just needed to calm down and slow down so that Steve could understand.

"_Ryan Mate, look I'm still driving, I'll be back in say give me five minutes yeah cause I don't understand a word you are saying right now mate" _explained Steve hoping Ryan would hang up and he could return his full attention to driving. He glanced back at the road and saw it was still clear for him to keep going and then back to the phone when he suddenly heard Katy's voice.

"_Steve listen it's Michelle, she's…" _was all Steve heard before his mind went blank and he switched off. Katy's voice telling him about the hospital was just an echo around the taxi. He couldn't take his eyes off of the phone. He had feared it might be something to do with Michelle. Suddenly he swiped the phone from the seat and pressed it to his ear demanding that Katy tell him again what was wrong.

"_It was awful, we just came home and she was on the floor bleeding. She's gone to the hospital and Ryan needs to get there" _she explained, rushing to get the words out and comfort Ryan at the same time.

Steve's mind went blank and all of a sudden he lost all concentration, dangerous when driving he knew but he was powerless to stop it. His thoughts and worries began to consume him as he tried to mentally route the quickest way to the hospital from his current location. He was still rolling forward in what was now queuing traffic when the lights up ahead suddenly changed to red. All the traffic in front of him started to stop but Steve did not notice it all coming to a halt and as he suddenly snapped back to reality he only just managed to slam on the brakes in time to stop himself from going straight into the car in front. He breathed a sigh of relief at his near miss and then started to let thoughts of the hospital and Michelle take over again. He was clueless as to what was actually going on and just couldn't wait to get there and find out. As the traffic started to go again, so did Steve. He threw the phone down on the passenger seat and then tried harder to concentrate this time, after all he didn't want to end up in the hospital too.

At the hospital Michelle was alone and actually grateful. She was in so much pain she knew she didn't need anyone flapping about and fussing over her who were not medically qualified and in a uniform to match. The nurses were trying their hardest to make her comfortable and help the doctor with his examination but whatever they did really didn't seem to be helping. The Doctor was scanning Michelle's medical records. He suspected this may be in relation to a pregnancy but she had nothing on her medical record to confirm his suspicions. He hated having to ask but in some cases you had no choice, it was only a precaution anyway.

"_Miss Connor, I'm sorry but I have to ask, are you pregnant?" _

Michelle looked up and instantly stopped moaning at the pain to glare at him. What kind of question was that? She stared at him as he waited for her to answer and then had to press when she refused.

"_Why? What does it matter if I am, something is wrong" _snapped Michelle.

"_Because Miss Connor, you have all the symptoms that would suggest a miscarriage" _He explained, as sympathetically and gently as he possibly could.

That hit Michelle and she instantly found tears forming in her eyes. That was the most upsetting thing she had ever heard, her poor baby. The nurse tried to offer some comfort but Michelle wasn't really paying her any attention. It had certainly quietened her down and when the Doctor finally felt she had digested what he had said he asked her the question again.

Michelle looked up sadly and nodded before actually confirming her answer to his question. _"Yes, yes I am" _she whimpered. _"But you can't tell anyone, no one knows" _she added sadly suddenly realising and scared that if Steve turned up someone might accidentally tell him.

"_Your information is confidential Miss Connor. I must examine you properly now if we are to have a chance to save the baby" _he explained with a sense of urgency.

Michelle nodded in agreement and the Doctor poked and probed further to see what he was going to have to do. As he did she found herself slipping into an emotional tunnel of her thoughts. She had spent at least a week now debating whether she wanted to actually keep the baby and now nature might be making the choice for her. It made her feel physically sick, this was just the wake up call she needed to make a final decision about how she felt and now that she might not have that choice the baby, well and healthy was all she wanted. Still sobbing she was relieved to feel the Doctor had finished his examination and she looked across to him as if to say 'well?'.

"_Ok, if we do an operation now, we should be able to stop the bleeding and should we get your blood levels restored to replace what you have lost, there is a very good chance the baby will survive" _

The second Michelle agreed, she was changed and whisked away for the operation. It couldn't have been as bad as she thought, seeing as they had time to examine her. Trying to keep calm and relaxed as she was advised by the staff Michelle took deep breaths and watched as the bright strips of hospital lighting flashed before her eyes. No sooner was she in the operating theatre was she being put to sleep so that they could get to work.

The cab tyres screeched as Steve came to a stop in a parking bay. It wasn't parked straight and he didn't care. Hurrying to lock the car he almost dropped his keys and the second he had actually managed to accomplish the task he went running to the entrance of accident and emergency. Running up to the reception desk he slammed his palms down on the counter and rushed to ask for Michelle. The nurse scanned her records as an anxious Steve fidgeted on the spot waiting. He was so worried now that something was seriously wrong and when the receptionist told him Michelle was in operating he demanded to know why. Of course due to confidentiality all she could do was suggest that he wait and she would send someone to see him but Steve wasn't satisfied by the suggestion.

"_She is my fiancée" _yelled Steve at the poor woman who was just trying to do her job. _"Why won't you just tell me?" _he moaned. He was so frustrated by this all. The receptionist sympathised with his distress and looking at his reaction figured he knew about the baby. She had never seen someone so upset by the fact they didn't know what was happening. Coming out from behind her station she came round and gently took Steve's arm to guide him to seat.

"_Just wait here sir, I will find someone who can explain to you." _she gently advised and keeping a calm tone so as not to rile him up again. She sweetly smiled and as she got up she reassured him. _"I'm sure everything will be ok, please don't worry, your fiancée and the baby are in good hands" _she went to walk away as Steve looked up at her shocked, what did she just say?

"_The Baby?" _questioned Steve, looking shocked.

The receptionist suddenly felt very stupid, she thought he'd known. She knew this would get her in some trouble but she had to be honest, she hadn't meant to brake confidentiality. She smiled and went off to find a Doctor to explain before she put her foot in it again. She was gone and Steve was alone, processing what she had just said. The baby, he thought and then it hit him, they would have it on record it was the only way they would know. It confirmed everything he wanted to know. Michelle had been keeping this from him, how could she not want to tell him. He was going to be a dad again and suddenly he felt thrilled.


	18. Chapter 18

Even though Steve had turned up at the hospital every day since she had been admitted, Michelle had refused all visitors during her stay. She needed time to think and wanted to be alone especially after the doctor had confirmed all was ok with her and the now month old embryo growing inside her. He had confirmed that the bleeding had just been an irregular and heavy type of period that wasn't common in the early stages of pregnancy but that it did affect some women a lot worse than others and that was if they even suffered it at all. She was pleased but dreading having to make the decision now that again it was her choice if this baby got to live or not.

She wept for a while over it and then pulled herself together before Steve finally arrived to collect her. It had been three days since he had seen her and he had not understood why she had kept him at bay during her hospital stay. It had been driving him mad not knowing what was happening and going on and he couldn't wait to find out. The consultant had not been forthcoming with any information the other day other than to tell him everything was ok but when he had asked about the baby he had been told that no further information would be divulged to him, because of the hospital's duty with patient confidentiality. He had snidely remarked that they ought to update their reception staff on that procedure but this had not impressed the consultant.

He entered the room with haste to see Michelle lying in the bed waiting for him to arrive. He had bought with him as requested clean clothes for her to get changed into. Walking slowly over to the bed he awkwardly smiled at her and then came over to place a light kiss on her lips but Michelle turned away and instead he was met with her cheek. He knew that instant there was something wrong and so reached his hand round to gently roll her head over so she was facing him.

"_I love you Michelle" _he whispered and it was just enough to set her off weeping again.

He pulled her up into his arms and comforted her, what on earth had her so upset. He cooed over her and tried his best to sooth her as the entire time he only thought about the baby. He prayed it was ok and her tears weren't being shed for its loss. Unintentionally he moved his hand down her body and it settled on her tummy, startling her and making her pull away. She looked down at his hand, resting there ever so gently and turned round to look at him in shock. What was he doing?

"_I know about the baby Michelle" _ he said softly with a pleased grin. He thought she'd be pleased to that he was happy about the news but she looked horrified. He immediately pulled his hand away and gave her a quizzical look, what on earth was the problem?

She gave him a sharp glare and seconds later lifted and removed his hand as she sat up and twisted her legs to get off of the gurney. She just wanted out of there now, this was not a topic she wanted to discuss with Steve, but she did have a few choice words for the next member of staff she saw. They had promised her that this would remain confidential and he can only have heard it from them, because he hadn't yet believed Carla's accusations. Absolutely fuming she kept him away from her as he tried to help her dress, she couldn't bear him fussing over her right now.

Steve was absolutely astounded by her behaviour and the more irrationally she acted the more scared he became that she was hiding something from him. He watched helplessly as she winced occasionally at the odd twinges of pain she felt when getting dressed and then he watched as she shoved everything she had pulled out of the bag back in. She was rushing and not taking care at all as she threw the bag over her shoulder and had to stop for a minute to take a few deep breaths. As she held her tummy almost clawing at it as she tried to suppress the pain she was feeling.

Earlier the doctor had given her the all clear but she wasn't feeling so well now. This was no time for fussing though and if she was honest she couldn't stand to be cooped up there a second longer. As she took a deep breath and turned to leave, the consultant Steve had seen the other day came hurrying in. He seemed surprised to see Michelle ready to go and Steve there as well but after he was over the initial surprise he insisted they have a further chat before she left. Both she and Steve followed him to the office but when it came to going in Steve felt hurt when Michelle stated she was doing this alone.

He waited outside anxiously and when she eventually emerged she said nothing only thundering passed him and trying to make it as quickly as she could manage to the exit. Steve hurried behind her, again shocked by the way she was behaving but knowing that she wasn't going to make it home without his help.

"_Michelle….Michelle" _he called out after her as she kept a quick pace and it wasn't until they were outside that he finally managed to catch up with her. He reached out and snatched her arm, making her turn to face him with a face of thunder. Her anger knew no bounds when she was upset with him, and he could always tell when Michelle was unhappy. She was not great at hiding her feelings.

"_What's going on Michelle?" _he bravely asked, not able to wait any longer for answers.

It was the most serious she had seen him in a long while but she couldn't deal with this, not here and not now. She stood by the car and demanded he take her home, the strain of her upset leaving her feeling faint. Reluctantly Steve agreed and opened up the car for her to get in but he was worried about her. It wasn't good for her to keep it all bottled up as she was; they were a couple and should face whatever it may be together. The drive home was made in silence though as every time Steve tried to broach the subject Michelle stopped him.

Arriving home Steve helped Michelle out of the car and up the stairs to the flat. She was out of breath as soon as she reached the top of them and leant against the door for a few seconds before opening it up and stumbling inside to find Ryan and Katy cuddled up on the couch. Ryan turned to see her and looked worried, Michelle could read him like a book, he had done something he knew he was going to be in trouble for.

"_Mum!" _exclaimed Ryan, having not expected her home.

She glared at him and then Katy who was sitting herself up straight and starting to feel uncomfortable. They had been taking run of the house in her absence and Ryan had taken the liberty of temporarily moving Katy and Joseph into the flat without asking his mother first. Of course Steve knew but was powerless to do anything about it. Michelle's eyes scanned the flat as she drank in the change of appearance. It was a complete and utter mess, the state of the place made her feel sick. There were dirty dishes and empty food packaging littered throughout the kitchen and living room. With a horrified expression she continued to gaze over everything until she stopped at the sight of a high chair by her dining table and then she noted Joseph happily playing in a playpen in the corner.

"_What the hell is going on Ryan?" _she screeched as he hastily removed himself from the sofa to stand and face her properly.

"_Umm I said Katy could move in" _he replied looking at his mum and then stealing a second to glance and smile down at Katy who looked worried.

"_You what?" _asked Michelle again through gritted teeth that were doing a terrible job at hiding her annoyance.

"_I told Katy she could move in" _he repeated as Michelle's blood started to boil.

Everyone in the room knew she was about to explode and made themselves scarce but when Michelle just shook her head and made her way to her bedroom they all had to admit they were surprised. Was that it, the only reaction she was going to have but the truth was Michelle wasn't finished yet she was just too tired to try and battle right now. She slammed the door behind her as Ryan breathed a sigh of relief that she hadn't kicked off.

"_Thought I told you to tidy this all up" _stated Steve as quiet as he could through gritted teeth and as he passed him on his way to the bedroom. If Ryan had just done as he had been told Michelle wouldn't have found out until she had calmed down a bit. Disappointed in Ryan he frowned at him and then gestured that he make a start cleaning, which Katy did instantly. As he entered the bedroom he saw Michelle sat on the far side of the bed with her back to the door. She had something in her hands that she was playing with and she seemed distressed by it. She hadn't noticed Steve come in and he ever so quietly crept up behind her not wanting to disturb her. As he came closer he saw that in her hand Michelle had a picture of a scan and he couldn't stop the gasp that escaped him. It caught her attention and made her jump. She turned to face him with what looked like fear in her eyes and crumpled the scan photo in her hand, crushing it so he could no longer see it.


	19. Chapter 19

"_Err what is that?" _asked Steve. He knew what he'd seen and that she was trying to hide it, he just wanted her to confirm it.

"_It's nothing" _insisted Michelle harshly as she got up from the bed and turned to face him.

"_Oh no it's not" _accused Steve as angrily as he could make himself and he held out his hand, gesturing with it that she hand it over.

Michelle clung to the little glossy square as tightly as she could in her hand, crushing it further as if her skin of her palms might absorb it by some chance. Steve sighed heavily and took a step closer to her still gesturing that he wanted it. Their eyes were locked on one another's as she stepped back to try and avoid him but as she did he reached with his other hand and tore it from her. Holding it up high so that she was unable to snatch it back he used both hands to un-scrumple it and saw clearly the image of a blob.

It was almost shocking, looked no bigger than a peanut and bought a tear to his eye. That was his son or daughter if they were even still alive in there and he didn't know what to say. Slowly he lowered the photo back down, unable to take his eyes off of it and his hand began to shake. There was an uncomfortable silence that fell in Michelle's bedroom as she watched him, observing very closely how emotional he suddenly seemed. She was angry with him, how dare he act like this was upsetting for him, he didn't know how she felt or what she was going through. He knew not the extent of the pain this all caused and would in future.

He broke his gaze from the picture and looked at her, he was frowning and looked less than impressed with her.

"_This is our baby Michelle." _he stated bluntly. _"Are you going to tell me all about it now?" _he asked.

Steve's outburst only annoyed her further and she snatched for the scan picture. He gripped it as tight as she did in an attempt to keep hold of it and under the tension it began to tear. Neither of them gave in and suddenly it ripped straight through the centre. It had been completely destroyed as they both let go and the two pieces of the broken photo floated to the floor, looking very much like the pieces of a broken heart.

"_Look what you have done" _accused Michelle.

"_Me?…Don't you mean you?" _yelled Steve.

Michelle had never seen him so angry but she continued to retaliate. She was hurt that between them they had destroyed a picture and it pained her to think they might actually do that to the baby. It just added to the list of cons she was mentally compiling. It was definitely longer than the pros to which she hadn't added a thing. As the atmosphere in the room heightened to an intensity neither of them could stand a second longer, someone had to bail and without warning it was Michelle.

She suddenly ran, pushing passed Steve accidentally but subconsciously knocking into him as she fled into the living room. She almost tripped over a selection of Joseph's toys that were scattered on the floor as Ryan piled them up to put them away. She frowned at him and then quickly carried on to the bathroom where she slammed the door with such vigour it radiated throughout the whole flat. Steve came blundering out seconds later and managed to kick the pile of toys back all over the floor as he went after Michelle. He ran to the bathroom after comically mimicking to Ryan and Katy that he had hurt himself.

"_Chelle" _he called out as he tried the bathroom door only to find she had locked it.

Ryan and Katy exchanged a confused glance and then gathered to watch Steve. He seemed exhausted and still somewhat frustrated as he continued to call through to Michelle a couple more times before a blunt and rather reply was given from inside.

"_Just get lost Steve" _screeched Michelle.

"_Urm Is she ok?" _enquired Katy as she looked, wide eyed and almost horrified at Steve.

"_Yes!" _he stressed. _"It's just the baby" _

No sooner had the words escaped his lips did he regret it. He stood up straight and pressed his lips together causing his mouth to form a thin hard line. His lips sealed as both Ryan and Katy looked at him with confused expressions on their faces. Katy's instant reaction was that he meant Joseph and she suddenly felt very unwelcome but Ryan knew that wasn't what he had meant at all. Stepping forward Ryan called him away from the door in case his mum was listening just inside ready to pounce the second she heard something being discussed in regards her personal life she wasn't happy about.

"_What are you taking about…a baby?" _asked Ryan trying to coax as much information from Steve as possible.

Steve shook his head, determined not to let another word slip before he really did end up in his fiancée's bad books for what would easily be the fifth hundred time this week. Not a peep would he make until Michelle was ready to tell her son herself. He had already said too much though and he knew it, he also knew that he'd be made to regret it so it was better to stop sooner rather than later. Shaking his head he gave a tight lip smirk in response to Ryan's question and hurried back to the bathroom door to hammer on it and call Michelle's name out in a more worried and hurried tone this time alerting her that he was desperate of her assistance.

Something clicked in Katy's mind and her eyebrows shot up and her eyes widened in surprise. She got it now knowing exactly what Steve had said and piecing it together minutes before Ryan caught on to. She was about to say it herself when Ryan suddenly blurted out their realisation.

"_Mum's pregnant!" _

No sooner had he made the statement in a raised and emotional voice did they all hear the bathroom door lock unclick and it slowly began to open where Michelle emerged in the gap created. She had been crying, they could all see the tearstains running down her cheeks. She looked at Steve who smiled warmly at her before her gaze landed on a shocked Ryan.

"_Are you…I mean actually pregnant?" _Ryan asked wanting to hear it from her lips if it were true. His voice was full of emotion and his eyes full of tears just waiting to spill as his words trailed into the silence. It was so quiet now that you could of heard a pin drop before Ryan swallowed down the hard lump in her throat and pressed for her to answer him. _"Mum?" _


	20. Chapter 20

"_No of course not Ryan. Don't be so stupid" _ snapped Michelle as she slowly came out of the bathroom and fled to the bathroom. Everyone could see she had been crying but stayed silent, Ryan especially as he was absolutely gob smacked and confused. Why would Steve say what he did if she wasn't?

"_Michelle!" _whined Steve going off after her as he rolled his eyes.

"_What was all that?" _asked Katy with a smile as she looked to Ryan who seemed really upset by it all. She dropped one of Joseph's soft toys from her hand and quickly wrapped them around Ryan to offer him some sort of comfort.

"_Do you think she really is?" _he asked his girlfriend in a shaky voice as he pulled away from her and looked her in the eye.

"_I don't know, she did act quite strangely then though" _answered Katy which was what she truly believed.

It didn't help and sent Ryan's mind spinning. He didn't know if he could cope with a baby brother or sister, especially when he was only just putting up with Joseph and that was only because he really liked Katy. Sniffling and wiping away the tears forming he looked around and no longer saw a mess, he just saw baby and it was already everywhere. That was bad enough without it being doubled. Suddenly from in the bedroom they heard Steve and Michelle rowing, it was so loud it was crystal clear to the young couple exactly what was going on inside.

"_Michelle, come on don't be like this" _cried Steve as he sighed deeply after each statement.

"_I'm getting out of here, you can't stop me!" _yelled Michelle irrationally as she threw clothes into a travel bag and became frustrated as he tried to unpack it.

"_Stop it 'Chelle, why are you doing this?" _Steve asked.

Michelle stopped for a moment, facing him and yanking the handful of tops he pulled out of the bag and held in his hand from him. Shoving them back in she continued to glare at him in between repacking the other bits and pieces she needed. She kept silent, biting her tongue before she said something she really would regret. Almost done she picked up some of her make up and dumped it all in loosely on top and zipped the bag before heaving it off of the bed to throw over her shoulder. All this strenuous activity not hours after being released from Weatherfield General really wasn't good for her health but she wasn't concerned. Heading out of her bedroom Steve chased after, begging her to stop as she marched out to the living room to retrieve her handbag.

"_I am going Steve" _she yelled.

"_Please Michelle, why?" _ Steve whined aware that Ryan and Katy were stood staring with horrified expressions on their faces as Michelle continued to make her exit.

"_Mum where are you going?" _chirped in Ryan.

First Michelle looked to Steve to answer his question and then looked to her son.

"_I won't have you drive a wedge between me and Ryan with lies Steve! I don't know Ry, I just need some time away" _her tone was harsh as she was finished and before either of them could reply or try to stop her she was out of the door and ran down the stairs before she burst into tears. As she reached the front door she felt another twinge and stopped to take a deep breath. It was a short sharp pain that she gritted her teeth to try and suppress before they realised she hadn't quite gotten away yet. She needed to press on, not that she knew where she was heading.

Stepping outside she shut the door quietly and struggled to cross the cobbles to the bus stop. She thought how sad it was travelling alone to destination unknown. Her hand lent against the Perspex side of the shelter and she bent over taking deep breath's as her bag dropped to the floor. Resting her other hand on her back she tried to get it regulated but the pain was feeling more and more intense. She regretted storming away now and causing herself so much stress, the last place she wanted to end up again was the hospital. It was getting worse and worse and when she could stand it no more she began to collapse.

Peter inside the bookies had seen her making her way down the street but had been distracted by his punters. When they had all been sorted he grabbed his fags and headed out to stand in the doorway. As he lit it he gazed up and down the street when he noticed Michelle, now on the floor at the bus stop. He jogged across to see her clutching at her middle and hissing through gritted teeth, clearly in pain.

"_Michelle, hang on love, let me get you some help" _

"_Not Steve, don't get Steve" _she cried as she let out one hell of a scream.

Crouching down Peter tried to comfort her as he went to call and ambulance. She screamed no at him so he called his next best option. They might not be best friends at the moment but Michelle needed Carla's help. He was useless when it came to these kinds of things. Michelle had zoned out now not really knowing whom it was he was talking to but he wasn't speaking long.

"_Come on love, lets get you up" _said Peter wrapping her arm around his shoulders and gently lifting her. It was only then he noticed the bags were hers. He was about to ask when Carla came dashing round the corner and called out to them. She grabbed the bags off of the pavement when instructed by Peter and hurried to ask what was going on but the question was blanked as Peter focused on getting Michelle across to the flat. It was slow and painful struggle to get her up the stairs and Peter was out of breath by the time they had. Lowering Michelle onto the sofa he watched as Carla hurried to sit by her side, grabbed her hand and demand she start telling her what was wrong. She made a few suggestions before Peter suggested that maybe she just give Michelle a minute. She reluctantly listened to him and got up to make a brew for them all when her eyes landed on the bag she had carried up the stairs.

"_Were you trying to leave 'Chelle?" _Carla asked sternly with a frown.

Her friend stayed silent on the sofa as Peter frowned and shook his head warning her not to push in matters that were not really her business, but he too was concerned, it certainly seemed that Michelle had attempted to do a runner. Another twinge made Michelle yelp and Carla dropped the spoon down on the side and rushed to her. Her intuition telling her that something was very wrong indeed. She knew Michelle needed help whether she wanted it or not. Screaming to Peter she insisted he get an ambulance but when Michelle protested again and broke down in tears they both stopped. She was trying to tell them something more. She was upset, her emotions and stressing the clear cause of her pain.

"_I lied to Ryan, Carla." _She confessed. Screaming out in pain again she took a deep breath. _"I told him there was no baby" _

Flopping into Carla 's arms she dug her fingers into her arms and took huge heaving breaths as she tried to calm down again. She needed help and she knew it, sadly she pushed into Carla's chest taking every bit of comfort her forgiving friend seemed to give. Muttering over and over she wept that she was sorry as Carla gently caressed her hair and gave Peter a look of confusion. She didn't understand why Michelle was opening up to her now.

"_I need your help" _mumbled Michelle breaking the silence and Carla was overwhelmed, a breakthrough at last.


	21. Chapter 21

"_Can I stay here a few days?" _sniffled Michelle.

Carla exchanged an awkward glance with Peter. She knew it was their flat but technically it was still his. Peter winced but shrugged, there was nothing else he could do, if Michelle left his flat he knew she wouldn't return home and he didn't want her to come to any harm. Stepping forward he rested his hand gently on her shoulder.

"_Of course, its no problem is it Car" _he stated.

Carla agreed, it was no problem. All she had wanted to do in the first place was help Michelle, it had never been her intention for them to fall out like they had. Pulling Michelle in close again she hugged her tight. It was a relief for Michelle just to know she had somewhere she could hide away from Steve.

"_So..."_ mused Peter _"Why didn't you want me to get Steve?" _he was only curious and felt he had to ask.

Sitting back up Michelle looked round to Peter, glared for just a moment and then looked to Carla as she answered. _"I can't see him right now. I just don't want to be around him" _she declared.

Both Peter and Carla were shocked at this. In all fairness Steve was an idiot and he sometimes got things wrong, very wrong but Michelle had always worked it out with him in the end. It really puzzled them as to how it was different this time, especially when they were engaged and had a baby on the way. Carla slowly got up, thinking this was a good time to finish making tea. They could do with a good cuppa and perhaps a little chat she thought. Crossing over to the kitchenette she grabbed Peter's arm and pulled him along with her.

"_Go and tell Steve she is safe. I don't want him worrying. I'm gonna see if I can get her to open up more whilst you're not around" _Carla whispered as she clattered with kettle to get it boiling. She knew Michelle had probably heard her but in her state she doubted she had registered what had actually been said. Peter nodded in agreement, it was definitely a good idea and worth a shot at least, just as long as Steve didn't try to follow him home after. Sighing loudly he made an excuse, something about fags and grabbed his coat to head on out as he had been instructed.

"_So..." _continued Carla as she headed back to the sofa and handed Michelle a cup of tea as she lowered to sit by her side. _"What's really happened? You know you can speak to me 'Chelle...about anything" _

Pausing she waited for Michelle to offer the information. It wasn't fair to press and pry like she would usually because this was a listening task. To be supportive only was her purpose. Sipping at her own tea she observed Michelle slurp some of hers in between what Carla could only assume were twinges but Michelle had insisted she was ok. It must be normal Carla thought, having not been a mother yet herself she didn't know and if she was honest she had no intention of trying to find out. A baby was one thing she was never having!

Eventually Michelle began to speak, seeming somewhat restored back to a version of herself Carla found easy to recognise. She was sitting up straight now, no tears and the pain seemed to have ceased altogether. Placing her cup on the coffee table she took a deep breath and then stared Carla straight in the eye. It was an intense few seconds of silence but as soon as she started talking she couldn't stop herself. All of her feelings, emotions and thoughts were pouring from her and she was dumping them all on Carla.

"_He is so arrogant...god he told Ryan Carla! Told my son! It wasn't his place to do that. I am so mad at him, just trying to be so perfect and make us perfect!"_ she yelled at the end. Finally out of breath she stopped ranting, taking deep breaths to try and calm herself again and looked to Carla for some sort of acknowledgement.

Sat shocked Carla tried to digest it all. It had been one hell of a rambling rant Michelle had given and she suspected it wasn't over yet. Give Michelle a couple of quiet hours and she would probably kick off all over again. Taking her friend's hand she gave a sympathetic smile and tried to offer some friendly and helpful advice. Michelle didn't take too kindly to it, nor was she even going to contemplate putting it into action. She would stay with Carla and Peter for just a few days as she gave it some proper thought as to what she wanted to do and then she'd get going. There was one thing she was sure of though and that was she wasn't going home to Steve.

It was just as Michelle was about to make her excuses to head off to bed that both of them heard a kerfuffle coming from the stairway. One voice was recognisable as Peter's and the other two sounded strangely like Steve's and Ryan's. Michelle froze, frightened of them bursting in and creating a scene. She didn't want to fight and argue with them, she had had enough of all that for one day. She wondered how they had come to learn that she was in the flat but then she remembered Carla whispering to Peter earlier and knew exactly where the information had come from. She turned to face Carla with a glare and then abruptly removed herself from the sofa.

"_So much for friends!"_ she yelled as she grabbed her bag and headed to the door. If she had to she would fight her way out of there.

" _Michelle...stop...wait" _called out Carla as she too got up and followed her friend across the flat.

The main door burst open the second she reached it with Peter desperately trying to keep Michelle's fiancé and son at bay. He knew the trouble it was going to cause and he was sorry but they had only been trying to be helpful. He gave Michelle a pitiful look as the two men overpowered him and came tumbling inside. Scowling at them both Michelle stood firm, her coat still on and her bag firmly clasped in her hand. They both stared at her, as did Peter and Carla, no one daring now to provoke her in case she suddenly tried to flee, which was Michelle's intention exactly.

It was Ryan who stupidly made the mistake of trying to talk to her and even though Michelle knew her son was only upset and wanted to help she couldn't help but feel pressured and trapped. It was then that she suddenly darted forward and as quickly as she could disappeared down the stairs. None of them went after her immediately but Peter insisted Steve go after a few seconds had passed and the realisation had kicked in. Anything to try and make amends before it was too late was surely worth it. With prompting Steve bumbled down after her and was just in time to see her lumping her overnight bag out of the door. Calling out her name in a desperate tone it was suddenly so clear, she was really going to go.

"_Stop!" _ Steve called out as he reached her and made a grab for her arm.

"_Why should I?"_ retorted Michelle with a grunt as she pulled her arm from his grip.

Stood in the middle of Rosamond Street they both knew there was about to be a late night showdown. Both as stubborn as each other they stood glaring at one another as Peter, Ryan and Carla now gathered at the front door. Michelle was filled with rage, at all the bodies of the people she loved now stood in front of her. Steve had to do something, beg if it was necessary he guessed. _"Michelle, please don't leave" _he sighed with so little effort that if you didn't know him you would have thought he hadn't meant it.

Biting her tongue Michelle kept quiet, listening to him continuing to beg and suddenly started fiddling with the engagement ring on her finger. She thought about what it meant, to her, to Steve and how it defined them now. Steve watched nervously, waiting now to see if she would suddenly turn and walk away or if she would decide to stay. He had done all he could to try and make her stay and she was about to smile and give in when he sighed loudly, flopped his arms in a gesture of frustration at his side and tried a little devils advocate.

"_Fine then...you go Chelle. Just leave"_ he yelled out moddily.

It hardened her again, scowling and looking up at him he yelled something back that none of them actually caught and pulled the ring off of her finger. Steve really was an insensitive pig at times she thought. She threw it at him but missed and the tiny piece of jewellery landed amongst the cobbles as she turned and this time hurried away. _"I don't want you and I don't want this stupid baby!" _she yelled back over her shoulder.

"_Michelle...Michelle come on I am sorry...I don't want you to go" _

"_Mum!"_ called out Ryan over Steve's pathetic apology as he sprang from the doorway and off after her but she was already miles ahead. He couldn't let her go and leave him alone, if she was leaving he was too.


	22. Chapter 22

"_Mum! Stop" _ yelled Ryan again as he caught her arm. She stopped but only to turn and face him with the tears in her eyes. They had made it a fair distance from the street now and the cold night air was nipping painfully at his bare arms. Luckily he didn't have to worry too much about his mum, she was wrapped up in her coat but she still looked terribly cold. The baby was a concern though, but only of Michelle's. Having told Ryan Steve was lying she couldn't admit now to her son that she was pregnant and having stopped suddenly in pain again.

The baby wasn't even at three months and Michelle feared natural loss more than anything after the events of the other day. If it was meant to be though she vowed to be appreciative of the hardest decision of her life being made for her by mother nature. It saddened her at the same time to think that she was however becoming attached to the baby and the idea of keeping it wasn't such as bad idea as she had first thought.

"_Mum, you can't go" _Ryan eventually breathed out. He was exhausted after chasing after her. As he looked up at her he noticed the tears rimming her eyes and couldn't help but comfort her as he started crying himself. _"Please come home mum, work it out with Steve" _he begged in a whisper. Ryan felt her nodding in response and then felt her pull away. She looked to him with a small smile and brushed away a stray tear that feel from her sons eye before he set her off also.

"_Katy has to go Ryan. If I do of course because I can't be dealing with all that now" _ she declared. Ryan was a little shocked by her terms but as much as he liked Katy he too was finding it stressful having her a Joseph at the flat. Nodding in agreement he looked at his mum. _"It's not because I am a cow Ryan. I just don't think you are that serious about her" _she clarified. Ryan just continued to nod, if agreeing with his mum was the way to get her home he wouldn't jeopardise it by arguing. It was her happiness for once over his that had to be taken into account in the given situation.

Back at Peter's flat Steve was beside himself with worry. He had explained to them what had happened at the hospital and then with the scan photo when they had gotten back home. He just kept apologising for what he thought was all his fault and it took Peter trying to reassure him to convince him otherwise. Carla was just as concerned for her friend and her fiancé but she was grateful her and Peter weren't in such a mess. It had her completely distracted, so much so that she didn't realise her phone had begun ringing on the side. She was stood almost in a daydream staring in Peter's direction when he looked at her.

"_Love, your phone" _ he stated when she finally made eye contact with him.

It took Carla a few seconds to register what he had said before she snapped back to reality and heard the phone also. Swiping it up quickly she glanced down at the screen and was taken by surprise to see that it was Michelle who was calling her. Not wanting to take the call in front of Steve she quickly dashed across the living room and darted into the bedroom taking care to shut the door and just hoping that the second it took didn't delay her answering before the phone rang off.

"_What was all that about?" _asked Steve. Peter could only shrug, he hadn't seen the caller ID but he had an inkling it was Michelle.

"_Michelle?" _whispered Carla.

"_No its me Ryan. Listen mum is coming home but I need help. We've wandered so far I don't know where we are" _ explained Ryan.

"_Ok, look around what do you see?" _asked Carla, hoping her nephew would give some clue she could actually use.

"_Not a lot, it's a street with some houses. Mum says she doesn't know it either" _

"_Ok stay calm, you can't be that far away. I will come and find you. Ryan don't move" _she accentuated as she hung up. Now the pressure was really on. This was going to be like looking for a needle in a haystack.

It had been at least an hour since Ryan had called his aunt and she had been driving around almost as long when she eventually managed to locate them. The headlights shone brightly as they skimmed over the two of them stood at the side of the road. Carla pulled up, keeping the engine going to keep the car warm and wound down the window. She could see how cold and pale Ryan looked being outside with no coat on but at least Michelle looked ok. She had feared the state in which she'd find her, especially after knowing all the pain she had been in earlier.

"_Come on, get in" _she ordered.

Ryan helped his mum awkwardly into the back seat and then climbed into the front. He asked Carla kindly if she'd take his mum back home as he whipped out his mobile and sent a quick and discreet text to Steve. He then sent one to Katy, telling her that they needed to talk. He felt terrible but his mum mattered more than a girl and her kid. The rest of the journey he spent thinking about how he was going to tell Katy it was over. It was going to break her heart and he was in no way prepared for the emotional drama.

"_Oh Thank God!" _proclaimed Steve suddenly. It broke the silence that had developed between him and Peter.

"_Good news mate?" _asked Peter.

"_Yep, your Carla has only gone and found Michelle" _answered Steve happily as he got up and grinned at Peter. He was doing as instructed, heading home to wait and he was so pleased that nothing could ruin his mood. That was until he got back to the flat to find Katy sat in tears. He felt awkward and pulled one of his faces to match as he slowly entered the room where the poor girl sat on the sofa sobbing. Coughing he made his presence known and Katy suddenly sat up wiping her eyes and made her excuses to disappear. She didn't really know Steve that well and he didn't her either so the awkwardness made them both feel uneasy as she made her way out of the door. Steve felt terrible as a somewhat fatherly instinct wanted to take over him and offer the young girl comfort but she was gone before he even had the chance. With a sigh he headed to the sofa and sat down, now all he had to do was wait.

Carla pulled the car up outside the kebab shop and Ryan was quick to get out. He rushed to the back to help his mum who suddenly looked very tired. He was having doubts that the set up with Steve was a good idea tonight but he'd done it now and there was no going back. After thanking his aunt, Ryan escorted his mother up the stairs to the flat. Michelle felt exhausted as she finally reached the internal door and was very much looking forward to crawling into bed. The shock came when she found Steve sat waiting for her. Rolling her eyes at him she headed straight to the bedroom but Steve incepted her, temporarily blocking her so that he could apologise. Ryan saw it as his opportunity to leave and turned to go.

"_Michelle I am sorry" _ said Steve in the most sincere manner he could.


	23. Chapter 23

"_For what?" _ questioned Michelle.

"_Everything 'Chelle, but can we talk?" _ asked Steve. He still wanted to discuss the issue of the baby, even though he figured that was still a sore subject.

She frowned at him, she knew exactly what he wanted to talk about and that subject for the time being at least was most definitely out of the question. If she was going to stay then it was on her terms and that meant no baby's whether it be talk of an unborn one or the son of her son's girlfriend. No baby's was the rule. Steve knew instantly that his topic of conversation was going to be dismissed straight away. Getting up he knew this was going to take more effort than just his words. He made his approach hastily and with open arms but Michelle threw her hands up in a gesture of resistance. She didn't want his affections at all. Being dismissive she then stormed passed him and into the bedroom which in turn caused him to go after her.

Steve was desperate for them to work out this little glitch in their relationship and get back to normal. It was almost possible if only they could talk. If Michelle didn't want the baby then he would support her no matter what his cares but secretly he really loved the idea of being a father to their child and bringing up a child in stable family unlike he had been able to do with Tracy and his daughter Amy. Entering the bedroom he saw her stood where the ripped up scan had fallen earlier and she seemed upset. Approaching with caution Steve wasn't sure if Michelle was going to welcome him trying to comfort her but he hoped she would. Casually he placed his hands with a light touch on her shoulders and suddenly Michelle started heaving sobs as she broke down . Steve didn't know if it was his action or something else that had set her off but she hadn't tried to push him away so he didn't retreat. Eventually she turned into him and grabbed hold of hi t-shirt as she dampened it with her tears.

It was an awkward moment for Steve but he was grateful that she seemed to be seeking solace in him. Somewhere in his mind he could hear it telling him that his thoughts about brining up the baby subject now were not a good idea with Michelle's vulnerable state but in true and typical Steve fashion he inadvertently ignored it and before he could stop himself the words were racing from his lips. He mumbled something down into her hair that instantly silenced Michelle's sobs and made her pull away just enough to look up at him. In a clever moments thinking her mind came up with a sufficient enough lie to perhaps stop him from broaching the subject with her in future.

"_I lost it today Steve" _

No sooner had Michelle said the words did she feel disgusting. It was all lies and Steve looked horrified but not at her more so at the situation from what she could tell. This time she did pull away and allowed herself to fall down onto the bed where she sat on the edge and buried her head in her hands. Steve feeling a little lost just stood there looking at her. The news shocked him as much as it had when he had heard she was pregnant. It made no sense, she was denying the existence the other day, then he had discovered the scan and the truth and now she had lost it in the space of all that. In his head he wasn't believing a word of it but Michelle really had no reason to lie to him about it so why would she make up such a painful thing? Eventually he came to sit at her side, not a lot needed to be said between them but he wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders and gave her a little squeeze.

"_Whatever you need Michelle I'm here" _ he offered and she sniffled as she nodded, pulled herself together and looked up to him, with wide, watery and mascara smudged eyes.

" _I need you to leave this Steve, I am ok" _ she insisted and he nodded in acknowledgement.

"_So you'd like a glass of wine?" _ he offered.

She nodded, yes a strong drink even if it was only wine would surely make her feel better. Giving a weak smile to Steve she wiped at her eyes with the backs of her hands and as soon as he had disappeared she breathed a sigh of relief. Her hand then instantly dropped to her stomach where it rested and she rubbed gently where she knew the tiny being inside her was growing still.

"_Sorry" _ she whispered down to the foetus quietly not wanting Steve to hear. She felt she had to apologise, not only for the unforgivable lie she had just told but also for the poison she was about to inflict again for the second time this week. Only a month or so old, this much consumed alcohol was sure to affect the embryo but as she now planned to fulfil the abortion she figured a drink or maybe two wasn't going to matter. That didn't stop her damned conscious playing up though ad making her feel like the lowest human being in existence. She remained sat there with her hand lingering on her stomach when Steve returned. He caught a glimpse of her position as he reached the door and with her having not noticed he paused to watch as she caressed the area of her stomach that would have earlier contained their unborn child. It pained him to see her like that and taking his already opened beer he quickly gulped down a few mouthfuls before continuing on in and making his presence known.

Michelle jumped when he passed her the wine glass and he wondered why his arrival with the drink he had offered had startled her so much. Taking the glass with a shaking hand Michelle was quick to take a gulp and then another straight after as if he had given her water. He wanted to warn her to steady herself but was trying to avoid any further conflict so decided not to. He then sat back beside her where he had been earlier and studied her nervous behaviour unknowingly. Something with Michelle still seemed weird and a little off but Steve was struggling to put his finger on exactly what it was. At this rate he knew he'd never figure it out, Michelle was and always had been a very complex person and Steve had always struggled to read her moods.

It was just then that the two of them found the difficult silence occurring between them shattered by the arrival of Katy and Ryan back home and they were rowing. It was a full on fight that they were part way through from what they could pick up. Katy seemed to be doing most of the shouting and once again Michelle was hit with a sense of guilt. This was her fault too, she had told Ryan she wanted Katy and her baby gone and clearly he had broken off everything not just their living arrangements. That wasn't what she had meant but obviously Ryan found it appropriate. As they came out of the bedroom they walked into world war three but as Katy saw Michelle she silenced instantly and scowled at her. It offended Michelle more than anything, especially after she had been so hospitable and accomodating to the young mum's needs upon her arrival. Having glared for a second or two Katy scoffed and then with folded arms disappeared into Ryan's bedroom to start frantically shoving all of her possessions into bags in a frenzied attempt to get away whilst she also fought back her tears. Hurt and homeless Katy didn't have a shred of respect left for Ryan. He was such a mummy's boy picking Michelle over her, she was supposed to be his girlfriend and she didn't understand why she had to move out and they had to break up just because Michelle had threatened to run away.

"_I 'ope you're happy now?!" _ screamed Katy at Michelle as she struggled to the door.

"_Let me help yo..." _ Ryan kindly tried to offer but Katy just growled at him seconds before she disappeared.

With puppy dog eyes full of tears Ryan looked sympathetically to his mum who herself looked like she was on the edge of tears. He smiled at her, searching for approval at the sacrifice he had made for her but it never came. A little disappointed he bowed his head and made his way slowly to his own room only to see from the doorway Katy had practically trashed it collecting her stuff. Turning he peered back over his shoulder.

"_I did it for you mum" _


	24. Chapter 24

A few weeks had now elapsed since Michelle had told Steve the news that she had lost the baby he had accidentally discovered they were having, and for this time she had been walking around on egg shells where both Steve and Ryan were concerned. She felt very guilty, especially for Ryan finishing things for good with young Katy Armstrong. She really had only wanted the teenage mum and infant out of her flat, not out of his life altogether. He had been miserable ever since that night and so had Steve clearly sulking about them not having a child because in a few heated arguments they had had lately he had thrown the accusation at her that she would never give him a child and that if he was honest that was the one thing he really wanted them to have. He opened up to her so much but she was still pushing him out, not letting him in and things were beginning to get so bottled up that the stress was affecting her.

It was early hours of morning, dark outside still and no signs of life from anywhere, not even the street outside. Michelle headed out into the living room, she had a bad case of insomnia purely because of the stress she felt. She tossed and turned most nights, restless and uneasy lying beside Steve knowing that she still hadn't booked the abortion or gotten rid yet of the baby. She wasn't sure she wanted to, not really, a baby she was beginning to think might actually be what they needed to make their relationship survive, especially if it would make Steve happy again. Gazing down at her amazing diamond engagement ring she started to play with it and started to wonder if the wedding was something she still really wanted. It would be perfect, a wedding and then a baby with a man she knew deep down she loved enough to spend the rest of her life with, the problem was she just wasn't sure if it was all enough for her. She had never had a happy little family unit and truthfully she knew that the concept actually really frightened her.

There was too much now in her head and it was all developing into the most painful of headaches. She felt she needed to talk it all through and get it out of her system but sadly not with Steve. She also felt she had no friends she could call on and it wasn't like Carla understood much about these kind of things. She also had a lot on her plate really without having to worry about Michelle any more. She had told Carla the other week too that she had lost the baby and ever since had been playing the convincing act so that no one would ever suspect. She estimated now that she was nearly at three months and that meant that any day she could suddenly start showing and questions would again be asked. She felt ashamed for lying but at the time it had come naturally to her.

Contemplating the options left to her, which she had to admit weren't many she thought about maybe confiding in Maria, but their friendship wasn't quite close enough. Of course there was her mum, if she picked up the phone but that would come with a guaranteed lecture that she wasn't sure she could take at this time. There was no one else really and that saddened her. This is usually when she would have gone running to her big brothers for help but sadly they were long gone. Sat in the darkness she tried to come up with some more options and got tangled in a most complicated web of thought when a cracked sleepy voice questioned 'mum' from behind. The sudden noise broke the silence making her jump as she turned round to see Ryan stood there.

"_You alright mum?" _he questioned sleepily rubbing his eyes as he stood there shirtless with just his tracksuit bottoms on. Only after a glass of water he had accidentally run into his mum after having managed to avoid her most of the time since he'd broken up with Katy for her. Michelle nodded and gave a smile as she watched him drag his feet to enter the kitchen, nosily grab a glass from the cupboard and start to fill it with water from the tap. She turned away at that point, staring at her reflection on the black screen of the television as she contemplated something. Then as Ryan trudged back behind the sofa heading back in the direction of his bedroom he was stopped in his tracks by his mother's declaration.

"_I lied" _was all she said, clear as day and her words seemed to linger in the room.

She had Ryan's attention and he was curious as to what it was she was referring to although he had his suspicions. Backtracking he went to the sofa and stood awkwardly by her side waiting to see if she would divulge any further. Ryan could see the tears forming in her eyes and knew she was trying to build up the courage to explain. She was such a strong woman usually but lately she had just been down right weird, he hoped this would mean that she was perhaps returning to her former self. Feeling the moment was right he placed his water on the coffee table and feeling a little emotional now himself quickly sat beside his mum where he wrapped his arms around her for a hug like he used to when he comforted her as a little boy. Feeling safe and that Ryan was the right person Michelle slowly started to let out all her feelings and to his surprise the truth.

"_I don't want to lie anymore Ryan. I can't" _Michelle cried but she was still being cryptic as to what she was talking about.

"_Lied about what mum?" _he asked in a soft tone so not as to upset her.

"_The baby" _ Michelle whimpered. Ryan tightened his grip on her then but not for long. He let her cry and then after a while peeled himself away and held her upright so that he could look her in the eye. What he asked next was sincerely heartfelt and he hoped she wouldn't find offensive.

"_Why mum?" _

Ryan was struggling and desperate to understand. His mum had obviously chosen him to confide him and he owed her so much really he didn't want to let her down this time. She was silent, still crying though as she shook her head and looked at Ryan. She wished she knew, that way maybe she would be able to explain. Right now all she had was a load of messed up thoughts that she really needed help sorting before they destroyed her and everything else in her life. Ryan probably wasn't the best person for the task but she was sure he would help her through. He had been the only person constantly there in her life.

"_I was scared Ryan" _she admitted. That part was at least true.

"_It was all happening so fast that I just didn't want to deal with it Ryan. The engagement and the baby it was all too much" _she wept.

"_It's alright mum" _Ryan stated again pulling her in close for a hug as she obviously needed comforting. It was quite a shock for him too but he had always suspected something about what she had been telling them all these weeks wasn't true. He waited a few minutes until she had calmed down to ask her to confirm that she was actually pregnant and she responded with a nod as she pulled away and sat up.

"_Do you hate me Ryan?" _she asked. She had to know because what he felt really mattered now.

"_No, of course not mum" _He answered, sincere in the way he spoke because he really didn't hate her. _"I want to help mum, I really do" _assured Ryan and Michelle was overwhelmed with happiness. It felt so good to have him on her side. With a smile she thanked him and then she asked a question of him that took him completely by surprise and left him speechless.

"_What should I do Ry?" _


	25. Chapter 25

The question left Ryan shocked, he really was the last person she should be asking for advice because it wasn't like he was even in control of his own feelings and life, let alone trying to help others. Feeling a little awkward he reached forward and grabbed his mum's hand. Using a little bit of recycled advice that most of the adults in his life had told him at some point he smiled at his mum.

"_I think you should do what you feel is right mum" _

It was all he could think of and he felt it was a bit of a copout but he didn't have any other opinions or suggestions suitable for mention. Michelle looked as if she was about to cry but Ryan knew it was only because he had said something grown up and kind and it had touched her heart. They sat for a moment as she nodded her head and took a deep breath before trying her best to smile through the pain.

From the bedroom Steve had stirred and sleepily rolled over to find Michelle missing. Rolling his eyes and sighing he knew that she had done the usual middle of the night disappearing act that he had gotten used to. Assuming he'd find her as he had usually lately asleep curled up on the sofa he struggled out from under the duvet and padded across the dark bedroom to the door when he stopped and listened upon hearing voices and an exchange that sounded very much like a conversation. Eavesdropping he waited listening to try and pick out some of its content and was just in time to hear Ryan's advice to his mum. Then he waited again his brow knitting in frustration as he waited for Michelle to give some sort of answer.

"_Do you think I should tell Steve?" _she asked Ryan.

Taking a deep breath in and then blowing out Ryan didn't know what to say to that. It was a matter of conscious. If she could live with the lie until she decided what she actually wanted to do with the baby then he guessed it was something she had to decide on her own. Avoiding eye contact with her because of the awkwardness Ryan squeezed her hand and mumbled his answer about if she felt that it was the right decision then she should but Michelle still was unsure. That is when Steve appeared. He had crept out of the bedroom upon hearing his name and now stood just shy of the sofa edge. Coughing he made his presence known. Michelle's head flew up as did Ryan's round and they both stared at him.

"_Should you tell me what?" _he asked Michelle in a sarcastic tone he usually used when he knew he was just the topic of conversation and was being kept in the dark about something.

"_Errr Ryan could you give us a minute" _snipped Steve as he folded his arms and stared at Michelle.

Ryan turned back to his mum, he wanted to make sure she wanted to be left with Steve before fulfilling his request. No exchange was needed, the look Ryan gave her was enough for Michelle to nod and let him know what he needed to. It was time to face the music, just be honest with Steve, after all he was thrilled about having a baby. What scared her was that he was going to be annoyed that she lied and had been behaving so strangely lately. Ryan slipped away as Steve came and sat down where he had been opposite Michelle. At first she couldn't look at him and there was a silence as she worked out exactly how she wanted to say this to him. Impatient though Steve asked her again what it was she wanted to tell him, which instantly set her off crying.

"_I'm so sorry Steve. It was really all too much and then there was the pressure, the engagement, a baby all at once and well the truth is, well I was scared Steve" _ She blurted out quickly but in a muffled, low and not well understood tone.

"_It's ok to be scared" _said Steve.

"_No, no it's not. I was scared and because of that I wasn't fair with you" _Michelle owned up.

"_What are you saying Michelle?" _quizzed Steve with a clipped tone in his voice as he sat back, keeping distance from her and awaiting some sort of clarification.

"_The baby" _she whispered.

"_You lost the baby Michelle, that isn't your fault." _Steve tried to comfort her knowing there was no point in being annoyed with her for things beyond her control but Michelle started shaking her head and he instantly felt as if he should be prepared to hear that it was her decision and she purposely aborted their child.

"_What are you saying Michelle?" _he asked with a knitted brow.

She looked up, Michelle couldn't not face him to tell him that she had lied, and he at least deserved to hear it face to face. Wiping away at her continuing tears she took a few deep breaths and tried to stop herself from shaking.

"_I haven't lost the baby Steve, I lied" _She whimpered.

Speechless Steve's jaw dropped and he just stuttered. He hadn't a clue how to respond because he was in shock, this was good news but at the same time it was in a way bad. Michelle had lied and that meant that maybe what they were building on was all lies but one look at her sat in front of him blubbering away and an emotional wreck he understood that just couldn't possibly be true. They loved each other enough and he was sure now if he stuck with her they could sort this out, why not he thought. Usually the pessimist he would have been annoyed but something inside Steve told him he would have to be the positive thinker for a while this time. When it had come to Michelle though and a relationship with her Steve had always been more than keen to stay in her good books and settle down with her, this was his chance to prove that and that despite his childish and immature nature at times he could be her rock when times were tough.

Michelle was panicking though, Steve had gone quiet and seemed to be in his own little world. He hadn't said anything. She stared at him, trying to make her tears dry up and go away as she frantically smudged them across her cheeks as they still continued to fall.

"_Do you hate me?" _she asked, she had to know. Michelle didn't want him resenting her for what she had done.

Steve smiled and knew that she needed the clarification. He had the urge to reach forward and hug her but didn't want to take her by surprise so reached forward and took her hand.

"_I am ecstatic Michelle! I couldn't be happier. That is of course if you are?" _he exclaimed and then quickly added on the end not wanting her to feel pressured into keeping the baby if she really didn't want to because she was clearly having doubts. He was so pleased to see her then give a small chuckle, she too was relieved that he wasn't moody, angry or upset by it all and let out a deep breath as she smiled.

"_So we're having a baby then" _Stated Steve, his words shocking them both with how weird they sounded. Michelle nodded by way of confirmation. She guessed they were, getting married and having a baby and the realisation of that sort of scared her and she could feel herself starting to freak out again. Steve was so happy though and she didn't want to ruin it for him so with a false smile she looked at him and confirmed.

"_Yep, a baby" _


	26. Chapter 26

_**5 Months Later...**_

"_Can we go now?" _whinedMichelle as she stood looking at herself in the mirror.

She had swollen ankles, an aching back and looked like a giant meringue in the white wedding dress Carla had insisted she try on in her heavily pregnant state. She felt stupid and she was sure that the customer advisor tending to them was giving her funny looks. She didn't know why, surely pregnant women got married all the time and came to try on dresses. Carla sipping champagne on the seat behind seemed to ignore the comment and Michelle awkwardly turned to face her with a stressed and pleading look upon her face.

"_Carla, can we go please?" _she snapped trying to get her attention.

"_Oh Michelle, stop moaning, you still have dresses to try on. You can't get married in a week without one" _ Carla giggled as she snapped her fingers to get the attendants attention.

"_Can I get a top up and can you get her a more flattering gown" _ordered Carla as she screwed up her face at the sight of Michelle.

"_Carla!" _she scolded feeling offended, which then resulted in a very unpleasant hot flush.

The assistant returned wheeling in a selection of a few dresses for Michelle to try and holding the champagne bottle to fulfil Carla's request. Watching Carla stared at the curtain as she could hear the awkwardness coming from within as the assistant struggled helping Michelle in and out of the options she liked.

"_Everything ok in there?" _ she called out upon hearing Michelle stress at the poor young girl who was only trying to help. She was turning into a right bridezilla as the day went on.

Finally Michelle reappeared wearing a breathtaking dress, it really was beautiful and Carla admired it. It didn't conceal the baby bump but still left Michelle looking gorgeous. It accentuated what was left of her figure and gave her gorgeous lines. Carla was lost for words as Michelle all red faced and feeling clammy scrutinised the choice and tried to decide whether she really liked it. The dress was the nicest she'd seen all day and she supposed if she made a decision they could get going sooner. Turning round to face Carla she flapped her arms at her side, mustered up half a smile and asked her what she thought.

"_You look amazing Michelle"" _

"_Really?" _Michelle questioned.

"_Yes, really you and the dress are both gorgeous" _

Michelle turned back to the mirror and had to admit she agreed about the dress but not herself. It had a lot of lace and enough stretch in it for expansion if the baby grew any more in the space of a week which she knew it would. It covered her body enough that she didn't feel self-conscious and exposed and then it tailed off into a flattering floor length a line skirt with small train. Examining closely she gazed into the mirror and made up her mind, it was nothing too fancy and just right so that was the dress for her. Smiling she looked to the assistant and nodded that she would take it.

Returning home Michelle couldn't be more grateful to be able to relax and have peace and quiet. Carla had gone on at her all day and they had arranged so much last minute for next week. For a wedding that was supposed to be just a small affair it had turned into a circus just recently. Carla had ordered and arranged so much stuff and planned her a reception and then even taken control of organising invites. The bombshell she had hit her with today was that she had organised for her parents to come over and Michelle had felt the stress of this knowledge all day. She just knew her mum would wade in and take over the day, fuss over her and just generally add stress to the atmosphere. Carla had also arranged for them to arrive in two days time which meant Michelle had to prepared and she was nowhere near ready. Sitting down on the sofa she thought she would rest for just a minute when Ryan came traipsing in, wearing the same clothes he had been wearing the night before.

"_Alright mum?" _he asked.

"_Yeah...Oh Ryan I need you to tidy up your room because your grandparents are going to have to stay in there" _ she tacked on at the end as Ryan huffed about this news. Not happy he dragged himself off to bed to sleep and tidying up would just have to wait.

"_Hey" _called Steve as he finally returned home. Michelle was spark out on the sofa with the television on and Ryan fast asleep in his room. Sneaking in Steve grabbed a can from the fridge and toyed with the idea of maybe heading to the pub for a quick pint when Michelle started to stir.

"_Steve?" _she sleepily questioned hearing the can hiss upon opening.

"_Yes Michelle" _ answered Steve assuming she would probably have something to moan about as she did all the time lately. Sitting up sleepily she rubbed her forehead and moved slowly feeling more uncomfortable now than she had done shopping earlier. Her whole body ached as she manoeuvred to sit up then stand and then shuffle towards the kitchen. She was starving and had a craving for any kind of greasy takeaway.

"_You couldn't nip downstairs and get tea could you?" _she asked sweetly as she handed him a tenner she pulled from her purse.

"_Suppose so" _ Steve answered rolling his eyes as he placed a kiss upon her cheek and took the money. It was the order that followed that had him shocked, she wanted so much and he knew if he got it wrong there would be hell to pay. Disappearing off downstairs Steve headed straight out into the street to bump into Lloyd.

"_Alright mate, fancy a pint?" _asked Lloyd cheerfully.

Steve pulled a face, he knew he really shouldn't but it was a tempting offer. Lloyd egged him on and within seconds he found himself caving and accepting the invitation even though he knew he was going to be in trouble with Michelle who was waiting upstairs. In the pub the two of them stood at the bar bantering when suddenly at the door Michelle appeared.

"_Hello love" _greeted Gloria as she nodded in Michelle's direction to make both of them aware and their conversation instantly fizzled out.

"_Michelle" _exclaimed Steve trying to act surprised at seeing her but feeling guilty for having been caught.

She wandered in looking furious and slammed her handbag down on the bar as she stared at him. Angry was an understatement of how she was feeling as Lloyd whispered something in Steve's ear about her mood that made them both giggle. Steve instantly apologised to Michelle though when he saw she was less than amused. Picking up his pint he downed it with no need for her to say anything after he had desperately stumbled on his words trying to explain how he had come to be there.

"_Home now Steve" _stressed Michelle through gritted teeth as she swiped her handbag from the bar and went to go marching off.

"_Do as your told Stevie boy" _joked Lloyd as he casually sipped his own pint. Steve turned and gave him a tight lip smile to mark his dissatisfaction at the comment. It made him feel more than embarrassed from time to time that Michelle had him so under the thumb. It was as she opened the door that Michelle stopped upon feeling a more than painful twinge. It was too early to be a contraction, after all she was only seven and a half months pregnant. Gasping she stopped to take in a deep breath when Steve who was still making faces childishly at his best friend who was taunting him knocked into her.

"_Steve!" _ she screamed before moaning at a further twinge.

Clumsily he started fussing over her, half in half out of the door when Gloria came out from behind the bar to see what all the commotion was about. Carla who was just coming out of the flat with Peter heard Michelle's curse of Steve's name and looked round to see her bent over in the doorway. She made her way across the road calling out to Michelle with concern as Peter trailed slowly behind her enjoying his fag. Carla seemed more than concerned as she approached hearing Michelle snapping at everyone as she insisted she was ok and they leave her alone. Turning back to Peter Carla shouted grabbing his attention for him to get the car.

"_Michelle, come on lets get you to the hospital" _she explained wading in to try and help Michelle move out into the street. Michelle reluctantly let her but kept snapping at her to stop telling her what to do. Carla and Steve were only trying to help by telling her to keep calm and take deep breaths but Michelle really didn't appreciate the fuss. Glaring at Carla she squeezed her friends hand tight and then with gritted teeth yelled that it was all the stress causing this before she started to cry.

"_Where is Peter?" _questioned Carla feeling stressed now herself. Seconds later he came racing round the corner and came to an abrupt stop outside the pub where Carla helped Michelle into the back and then slide in beside her to accompany her. Steve jumped in the front and as Peter started to speed away Michelle screamed.

"_It's the baby Carla, it's coming I just know it is" _she shouted, turning red faced and sweating as she was filled with panic at the prospects of a premature birth.


End file.
